{
  "id": 1362310,
  "title": "Trump says US scaling back military drills with South Korea",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/16/trump-says-us-scaling-back-military-drills-with-south-korea",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-16T22:18:15.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "New Straits Times",
    "slug": "new-straits-times",
    "url": "https://www.nst.com.my/world/world/2026/08/1512643/trump-says-us-scaling-back-military-drills-south-korea"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "US President Donald Trump expressed dissatisfaction on Sunday with the United States' involvement in joint military drills with its close ally, South Korea. The exercises, known as the Ulchi Freedom Shield, are set to begin on Monday and will last for 11 days. In a message on his Truth Social platform, Trump stated that he is \"not happy\" with the agreement between the United States and South Korea to participate in these joint military exercises, which he perceives as costly and hostile towards North Korea. He emphasized that these drills, which primarily involve 18,000 South Korean troops and 28,500 US troops, send a message that is \"totally inappropriate and hostile\" to a country that has remained unthreatening and respectful throughout Trump's presidency. Trump added that it was too late to cancel the drills, so he has ordered Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to substantially reduce their scale. The Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise, a regular summer fixture for the armed forces of South Korea and their US allies, is designed to prepare them for defense against North Korea's nuclear-armed forces. North Korea has consistently been angered by these drills, viewing them as rehearsals for an invasion. During his first term, Trump held direct talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, which ultimately failed to address North Korea's nuclear weapons program. Trump last met with Kim in person in 2019. Colonel Ryan Donald, a spokesman for the US-South Korean Combined Forces Command, stated that the exercise will focus on combat against North Korean troops, many of whom have been battle-hardened by their deployment in the Russia-Ukraine war. South Korea's newly elected President, Lee Jae Myung, has taken a more dovish stance compared to his predecessor, offering talks with Pyongyang without preconditions. However, North Korea has yet to respond to these overtures. Despite having been at war since 1950-53, when North Korea attacked South Korea, the two Koreas remain technically at war due to the absence of a peace treaty.",
  "summary": "WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said Sunday he was “not happy” about US participation in joint military exercises with close ally South Korea and is scaling back the drills aimed at deterring rival North Korea that start Monday.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "South China Morning Post",
        "title": "Trump orders Pentagon to scale back joint military exercises with South Korea",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/16/trump-orders-pentagon-to-scale-back-joint-military-exercises-with",
        "published": "2026-08-16T22:29:55.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Channel News Asia",
        "title": "Trump says US scaling back military drills with South Korea",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/16/trump-says-us-scaling-back-military-drills-with-south-korea-1371362",
        "published": "2026-08-16T22:53:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}