U.S. President Donald Trump announced overnight between Sunday and Monday that he had decided to “significantly reduce” U.S. participation in the major joint military exercise it holds with South Korea each year, just hours before it was set to begin. In his statement, Trump specifically cited his “very good relationship” with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, and accused Seoul of failing to come to Washington’s aid when it became embroiled in the military crisis with Iran.
The joint exercise between South Korea and the U.S., which began Monday morning and is known as Ulchi Freedom Shield, is scheduled to last 11 days. It was originally planned to include 18,000 South Korean soldiers, alongside personnel from the U.S. garrison stationed in the country, which numbers 28,500 troops. The exercise is held every summer and is intended to strengthen the ability of South Korea’s armed forces and their American allies to defend against North Korea, which is armed with nuclear weapons and has recently stepped up its missile tests.
Black Hawk helicopters in South Korea, before the exercise that opened this morning
(Photo: YONHAP / AFP)
The planning for this year’s exercise took into account the experience North Korean forces have gained in the war between Russia and Ukraine, where tens of thousands of troops from Pyongyang were sent to assist Vladimir Putin’s army. U.S. military officials assess that North Korean military leaders have drawn lessons from the fighting on the Ukrainian front, and that Pyongyang’s capabilities have changed accordingly, especially regarding the use of drones, cyberattacks and GPS disruptions.
Trump’s overnight announcement reducing the U.S. role in the joint exercise, published on his Truth Social platform, joins a long list of insults the U.S. president has directed at America’s traditional allies since returning to the White House in 2025. While Trump has repeatedly called on South Korea to shoulder a greater share of defense costs, a U.S. official this year actually called Seoul “a model ally” and described it as demonstrating an impressive commitment to increasing defense spending in line with the U.S. regional strategy.
North Korea threatens and fires missile into the sea
In his overnight post, Trump attacked the exercises as “expensive,” and claimed they “send a hostile and completely inappropriate message” to North Korea — a nation that, he said, “since Donald Trump became president, is not threatening but acting respectfully.” The third-person phrasing was Trump’s own.
North Korea traditionally views the joint Washington-Seoul exercise as preparation for an invasion, and in recent days it condemned it and warned of possible retaliation and increased “deterrence” measures. As a first step, it launched a ballistic missile toward the Sea of Japan last Wednesday.
In his Truth Social post, Trump also mentioned Seoul’s refusal to take part in U.S. military actions against Iran, using it to justify reducing American involvement in the exercise. “While somewhat unrelated (?), I recently asked the President of South Korea if they would like to join us in the Denuclearization of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and they said, “No thanks!” Trump wrote.
oint exercise for the US and South Korean armies, archive. Pyongyang sees it as a threat
(Photo Via Reuters)
On Monday morning, after Trump’s overnight statement, South Korea’s presidential office, the Blue House, said it was reviewing his post and that it “hopes the friendly relationship between the leaders of the U.S. and North Korea will lead to meaningful dialogue between the two Koreas, and to talks aimed at promoting peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula.” It also said the allies would continue close coordination on their combined defense posture and military exercises.
In response to Trump’s claim that President Lee Jae-myung had refused to join U.S. efforts to denuclearize Iran, Seoul’s presidential office said South Korea had discussed possible ways to assist militarily while considering its defense readiness on the Korean Peninsula and domestic legal procedures.
When 'Little Rocket Man' and the 'mentally deranged dotard' fell in love
It is unclear how the exercises will now be reduced, but in recent years they have shifted from live-fire drills to missile attack and cyberattack scenarios conducted through computer simulations.
North Korea launches ballistic missile into the Sea of Japan
(Photo: Reuters)
Victor Cha, head of the Korea program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, said Monday morning that by reducing the exercise, Trump may be seeking greater influence over North Korea, also against the backdrop of Pyongyang’s deep involvement in fighting alongside Russia in Ukraine. According to him, Trump may be interested in enlisting Kim to undermine ties between Moscow and North Korea, which have grown much closer in recent years.
Jenny Town, director of the 38 North program at the Stimson Center, said she believes Trump’s decision may be part of a broader effort to create a diplomatic opening with Pyongyang, something Trump has consistently wanted since returning to office, “although the random nature of this move is unlikely to impress Pyongyang very much.”
Trump mocked North Korean leader Kim Jong Un early in his first term as president, repeatedly calling him “Little Rocket Man” and threatening Pyongyang with “fire and fury.” Kim, for his part, boasted at the time that he would “tame the mentally deranged U.S. dotard with fire.” Later, in a surprising move before tensions escalated into military confrontation, Trump and Kim decided to hold a historic meeting in Singapore, and then met face to face two more times.
Trump and Kim at their first summit in Singapore, in 2018
(Photo: AP)
Following the meetings and an exchange of letters between them, Trump even declared: “We fell in love.” However, those efforts did not lead to changes regarding North Korea’s determination to hold on to nuclear weapons and advance its ballistic missile program.
Trump’s overnight announcement came after he shared a photo a day earlier on Truth Social showing him with Kim Jong Un during their historic 2019 meeting, during his first term as president. “Despite the unfriendly look in this particular picture, there are many where we are smiling,” he wrote in the caption, adding: “Kim Jong Un and I get along very well!”
South Korean President Lee Jae-myung said in June, during a pause in the conflict between the U.S. and Iran, that Trump now wanted to focus on resolving the North Korean issue. Lee, who is seen as taking a dovish approach toward North Korea, has moved away from the hard line of his predecessor since taking office in June 2025, and has offered Pyongyang talks without preconditions. However, North Korean authorities have so far ignored those repeated overtures.