Trump Orders Cut to U.S.-South Korea Military Drills, Citing Friendship With Kim Jong Un. Seoul Says Exercises Are Going Ahead

President Donald Trump has ordered the Pentagon to "substantially reduce" joint military exercises with South Korea, explicitly citing his relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and opening a new point of tension with one of Washington's most important Asian allies.

But hours after Trump's announcement, South Korea's Defense Ministry offered a notably different account: the annual Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises had begun and were proceeding as previously announced and scheduled.

The conflicting messages from Washington and Seoul raised immediate questions about how Trump's order will be implemented and whether the president is signaling a broader change in the U.S. military posture toward the Korean Peninsula or seeking leverage for renewed diplomacy with Pyongyang.

Trump announced the decision Sunday, just hours before the 11-day exercises were scheduled to begin Monday.

"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," Trump wrote on Truth Social, according to reports on his announcement. He said the exercises were expensive and sent what he called an "inappropriate and hostile" message to North Korea.

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. These exercises are not only costly, with much of these costs paid for by… pic.twitter.com/IcVjiJyDX9

— Commentary Donald J. Trump Truth Social Posts On X (@TrumpTruthOnX) August 16, 2026

Trump said it was too late to cancel the exercises entirely and that he had instead instructed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to substantially reduce them. He also portrayed North Korea as having been "unthreatening and respectful" during his presidency.

His announcement appeared to catch Seoul in an awkward position.

South Korea's Defense Ministry said Monday that Ulchi Freedom Shield was proceeding "as previously notified and scheduled" when asked about Trump's statement. The ministry said it would provide additional information if there were developments.

The exercise, scheduled to run from Aug. 17 through Aug. 27, is one of the central components of the U.S.-South Korean defense partnership and is intended to prepare the allies to respond to a potential North Korean attack and other emerging threats.

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About 18,000 South Korean troops are participating this year. The drills incorporate live, virtual and field training and include scenarios involving drones, cyberattacks and GPS disruption, as well as lessons from North Korean forces' battlefield experience alongside Russia in Ukraine. Personnel from United Nations Command member countries are also participating.

North Korea has long condemned U.S.-South Korean military exercises as rehearsals for an invasion. Just days before this year's drills, Pyongyang called them provocative and threatened an unspecified "strong response." North Korea has also recently resumed ballistic missile launches.

Trump's intervention is particularly significant because he tied a U.S. military decision involving a treaty ally directly to his personal relationship with Kim.

Trump met Kim three times during his first administration, including summits in Singapore and Hanoi and a 2019 encounter at the Korean Demilitarized Zone. Their diplomacy ultimately failed to produce an agreement dismantling North Korea's nuclear weapons program, but Trump has continued to speak positively about his relationship with the North Korean leader and has indicated he would be open to meeting him again.

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