South Korea · Pentagon · Donald Trump · Iran · Republicans · North Korea · Fortune Technology
President Donald Trump ordered the Pentagon on Sunday to scale back planned joint military exercises with South Korea
Compiled by KHAO Editorial — aggregated from 3 sources. See llms.txt for citation guidance.
✓ KHAO Verified
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.
Key facts
- The 11 days of exercises involving 18,000 South Korean soldiers were designed to beef up readiness against North Korean threats
- Trump met with the reclusive North Korean leader three times during his first term to discuss the country’s nuclear program, most recently in 2019
- President Donald Trump ordered the Pentagon on Sunday to scale back planned joint military exercises with South Korea after the Republican president said South Korea declined to help denuclearize Iran
- North Korea’s Foreign Ministry has called the U.S.-South Korean training “a rehearsal for an aggressive war” that is triggering a different level of instability in the region
Summary
President Donald Trump ordered the Pentagon on Sunday to scale back planned joint military exercises with South Korea after the Republican president said South Korea declined to help denuclearize Iran. “Therefore, and based on the fact that it is too late to cancel, I have instructed Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, to substantially reduce the Joint Military Exercises!” Trump wrote. The 11 days of exercises involving 18,000 South Korean soldiers were designed to beef up readiness against North Korean threats.