President Donald Trump directed Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth on Sunday to substantially reduce U.S. participation in ongoing joint military exercises with South Korea, citing his relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and anger that Seoul declined to join the U.S. war effort against Iran.
Trump announced the decision in a Truth Social post, saying the drills—which began Monday—are costly and "send a signal that is totally inappropriate and hostile" to North Korea. He said Kim's government "has been unthreatening and respectful" during his presidency. "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 exercises at issue are the annual Ulchi Freedom Shield drills, an 11-day training program involving 18,000 South Korean soldiers. U.S. forces were scheduled to practice joint operations across complex combat scenarios, including live-fire exercises testing joint precision targeting, a wet gap crossing—a military operation to move forces across a water obstacle—and distribution of prepositioned military equipment. The U.S. military has described the summertime drills as reinforcing "the role of the alliance as the linchpin for regional peace and security."
South Korea's Defense Ministry confirmed the exercises began Monday as scheduled, and Seoul indicated it intends to continue on that basis. The drills are one of two main combined training events the two countries conduct each year, alongside springtime exercises.
The joint training started within days of North Korea resuming ballistic missile testing in violation of United Nations bans. Despite that activity, Trump characterized Pyongyang as unthreatening and pointed to Seoul's refusal to join the Iran war as a reason for his order. "I recently asked South Korea's president if they would join us in the denuclearization of Iran, and they said, 'No thanks!'" Trump wrote.
Sen. Mark Kelly, a Democrat and former Navy pilot, criticized the decision sharply, saying hollowing out joint exercises weakens alliance readiness. Kelly's criticism reflects a broader concern among defense-oriented lawmakers that reducing exercises degrades the tactical coordination that takes years to build between allied forces.
The decision represents a sharp reversal from positions Hegseth himself articulated just three months ago. In May, Hegseth praised South Korea during a meeting at the Pentagon, saying the ally showed a "commitment to increase defense spending" and "leadership in assuming primary responsibility for the security of the Korean Peninsula." He said at the time that South Korea's posture "demonstrates alliance burden-sharing that all of America's partners would do well to follow."
Ulchi Freedom Shield is specifically designed to improve readiness against North Korean threats. That the administration would reduce its scope days after Pyongyang tested ballistic missiles indicates Trump weighs his personal relationship with Kim and geopolitical calculations like Seoul's Iran refusal above on-the-ground developments on the peninsula.
Trump's posture toward South Korea fits a pattern in which the administration has distanced itself from traditional allies while seeking warmer ties with governments that previous U.S. administrations treated as adversaries. His administration has also criticized NATO allies for insufficient support in the Iran conflict, even as those governments deal with an increasingly aggressive Russia on their eastern flank.
Ulchi Freedom Shield runs alongside the alliance's springtime drills as the two pillars of annual combined readiness training. Reducing participation in one of those two events—particularly in a year when North Korea has restarted missile activity—leaves a gap in the exercise calendar that will not be filled until next spring at the earliest.
