{
  "id": 1390852,
  "title": "Trump orders Pentagon to 'substantially' reduce S. Korea-US military exercises",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/17/trump-orders-pentagon-to-substantially-reduce-s-korea-us-military-1390852",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-17T01:32:02.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Korea Times",
    "slug": "the-korea-times-koreatimes",
    "url": "https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/foreignaffairs/20260817/trump-orders-pentagon-to-substantially-reduce-s-korea-us-military-exercises"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "U.S. President Donald Trump has directed the Pentagon to significantly cut back on joint South Korea-U.S. military exercises, according to a social media post. The move is seen as an attempt to ease tensions with North Korea. In the post, Trump criticized the exercises as \"costly\" and \"totally inappropriate and hostile\" signals to Pyongyang. The United States and South Korea are currently conducting their annual Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS) exercise, which North Korea has repeatedly denounced as war rehearsals. Trump, who reportedly has a \"very good relationship\" with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, expressed his dissatisfaction with the joint military drills. He stated that these exercises, primarily funded by the U.S., are not only expensive but also send a hostile message to a country that has been unthreatening and respectful during Trump's presidency.",
  "summary": "U.S. President Donald Trump said Sunday that he has instructed the Pentagon to \"substantially\" reduce joint South Korea-U.S. military exercises, in what appears to be a conciliatory gesture toward North Korea. Trump made the remarks in a social media post, saying the exercises are not only \"costly\" but also send a \"totally inappropriate and hostile\" signal to the North. The post came as Seoul and…",
  "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",
        "published": "2026-08-16T23:07:03.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "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."
}