Trump’s Push To Cut Korea Drills Exposes Deeper Rift With Seoul

August 22, 2026 6:19 PM ET U.S.-South Korea relations may be under more strain than meets the eye as military, economic and diplomatic disagreements increasingly test the longtime alliance.Disputes over military commitments, trade and President Donald Trump’s outreach to North Korea have put a crimp in what has been a close, decades-long relationship between Washington and Seoul. Trump’s move to scale back the annual Ulchi Freedom Shield joint military exercises is the latest sign of that growing friction.Trump initially announced his order to substantially reduce the exercise in a Truth Social post on Sunday.“These exercises are not only costly, with much of these costs paid for by the United States of America (as usual!), but send a signal that is totally inappropriate and hostile,” Trum