{
  "id": 1368739,
  "title": "Trump orders Pentagon chief to 'substantially' reduce S. Korea-US military drills",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/16/trump-orders-pentagon-chief-to-substantially-reduce-s-korea-us",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-16T23:07:03.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Korea Times",
    "slug": "the-korea-times",
    "url": "https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/foreignaffairs/20260817/trump-orders-pentagon-chief-to-substantially-reduce-s-korea-us-military-drills"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "U.S. President Donald Trump has directed the Pentagon chief to substantially reduce joint U.S.-South Korea military drills, claiming the exercises are costly and send a hostile message to North Korea. The Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise, set to commence in Seoul and Washington this week, has been met with disapproval from Pyongyang, who view it as war rehearsals. Trump expressed his discontent with U.S. participation in these drills, stating they are not only expensive, with most costs shouldered by the United States, but also send an inappropriate and hostile signal to a country that has been unthreatening and respectful during his presidency. He further noted, \"Based on the fact that it is too late to cancel, I have instructed Secretary of War, Pe\"",
  "summary": "U.S. President Donald Trump said Sunday that he has instructed the Pentagon chief to \"substantially\" reduce joint U.S.-South Korea military exercises, noting that those exercises are not only \"costly\" but also send a \"totally inappropriate and hostile\" signal to North Korea. Trump made the remarks in a social media post as Seoul and Washington are set to kick off their annual Ulchi Freedom Shield…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The Korea Times",
        "title": "Trump orders Pentagon chief to 'substantially' reduce S. Korea-US military drills",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/16/trump-orders-pentagon-chief-to-substantially-reduce-s-korea-us-1370425",
        "published": "2026-08-16T23:12:03.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "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."
}