Trump orders scale-back of military exercises with South Korea after refusal to help with Iran's denuclearization

Trump directs Pentagon to reduce joint military exercises with South Korea

President Trump announced on August 16, 2026, that he had directed the Pentagon to scale back scheduled joint military exercises with South Korea. In a post on his Truth Social platform, he described the drills as costly and stated that they “send a signal that is totally inappropriate and hostile” to North Korea. He added that North Korea had remained “unthreatening and respectful” during his presidency.

Mr. Trump cited his relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as a factor in the decision. “Based on my very good relationship with Kim Jong Un, of North Korea, I am not happy with the fact that the United States has, long ago, agreed to participate in Joint Military Exercises with South Korea,” he wrote. He said it was too late to cancel the current round of exercises but instructed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to “substantially reduce” them.

The president also noted that he had recently asked South Korea to join U.S. efforts toward denuclearization of Iran and that South Korea had declined. He stated that the decision to adjust the military exercises was “somewhat unrelated” to that request.

South Korea’s presidential office told the French news agency AFP on August 17 that it was monitoring the announcement and hoped for continued “meaningful dialogue” between the two countries.

The exercises in question were planned for 11 days and involved 18,000 South Korean troops. U.S. and South Korean forces were scheduled to conduct joint operations training, including live-fire precision targeting, wet-gap crossings, and distribution of prepositioned equipment. The U.S. military described the drills as reinforcing the alliance’s role in regional security and reaffirming the commitment to defend both nations.

North Korea issued a statement on August 15 warning of unspecified “stern steps” against the United States and South Korea, calling the drills a “rehearsal for an aggressive war.” Such statements have preceded previous U.S.-South Korean exercises. U.S. and South Korean officials have said the training is intended to maintain readiness against potential North Korean threats.

Mr. Trump met with Kim Jong Un three times during his first term, most recently in 2019. Since returning to office, he has indicated interest in resuming discussions. On August 15 he posted a photograph of himself with Kim, stating that the two leaders “get along great despite the unfriendly look on this particular picture.”

This is not the first occasion on which Mr. Trump has proposed ending or reducing the exercises. In 2018, after a meeting with Kim in Singapore, he announced that the drills would stop to save money unless future negotiations required their resumption.

The current announcement follows the pattern of prior statements linking the scale of U.S.-South Korean training to the state of relations with North Korea. South Korean officials have not yet issued a detailed public response beyond the initial statement expressing interest in dialogue.