Trump orders Pentagon to scale back joint exercises with South Korea
Trump said in a social media post that the exercises slated to begin this week are costly and "send a signal that is totally inappropriate and hostile" to North Korea, which he said "has been unthreatening and respectful" while Trump has been in the White House.
US President Donald Trump has ordered the Pentagon to scale back joint military exercises with South Korea. The exercises, known as Ulchi Freedom Shield, were scheduled to run from August 17 to 27 and involve 18,000 South Korean soldiers. According to the Associated Press, the drills were designed to enhance readiness against North Korean threats and include joint operations in complex scenarios.
Trump announced the decision on social media, stating that the exercises were "costly" and sent a "totally inappropriate and hostile" signal to North Korea, which he claimed had been "unthreatening and respectful" during his presidency. He also mentioned that South Korea had declined to help denuclearize Iran, which was a factor in his decision.
The exercises have been scaled back, although it was too late to cancel them entirely, Trump said. The US president also cited his "very good relationship" with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
Brief written by urgent.news from PBS NewsHour, Associated Press, Free Malaysia Today, Al-Monitor, Winnipeg Free Press — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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