Trump Scales Back Military Exercises With South Korea Because They're Not Nice For Kim Jong Un
President Donald Trump has ordered a reduction in joint military exercises with South Korea, citing his relationship with Kim Jong Un. The decision has sparked debate regarding the readiness of U.S. and South Korean forces and the strategic implications for North Korean relations.
Why it matters
This decision impacts long-standing geopolitical alliances and defense strategies in the Asia-Pacific region.
President Donald Trump said Sunday that he has ordered the Pentagon to scale back the joint military exercises with South Korea that began this week.
In a Truth Social post , the president said his decision was based on his "very good relationship with Kim Jong Un," and described North Korea as "unthreatening and respectful." He also condemned South Korea for declining to help the U.S. denuclearize Iran.
The joint exercises were expected to last 11 days and involve 18,000 South Korean soldiers, The Associated Press reported . In a statement carried by state media Friday, North Korea described the training as "a rehearsal for an aggressive war. "
Trump said that he sees the exercises as "hostile" to North Korea and costly for the U.S., but because it was too late to cancel them, he had ordered a reduction instead.
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