S. Korea, US sharply reduce joint military exercise following Trump order

South Korea and the United States are scaling down their annual combined exercise that kicked off earlier this week, with the scheduled field training also set to be reduced, South Korea's military said Wednesday. The allies agreed to cut short the Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise to Friday, paring down the drills period

August 16, 2026 9:35 PM ET President Donald Trump has ordered a sharp cutback to the long-running military drills the United States conducts alongside South Korea.The Republican president announced the decision Sunday in a Truth Social post, directing Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to “substantially reduce the Joint Mi

President Donald Trump directed Secretary of War Pete Hegseth to “substantially reduce” the number of joint miliitary operations the United States military conducts with South Korea on Sunday. “Based on my very good relationship with Kim Jong Un, of North Korea,” Trump said. “I am not happy with the fact that the Unite

President Donald Trump said Sunday that he has directed the Pentagon to scale down joint military exercises with South Korea, citing the country’s refusal to join the war in Iran and his “very good” relationship with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un.

A day earlier, Trump posted a photo of himself standing next to North Korea’s Kim Jong Un, writing that the two leaders get along great.