Signal Trump reduces military exercises with South Korea, citing good ties with Kim Jong Un

Summary

President Trump announced on Truth Social on August 16, 2026 that he had directed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to substantially reduce joint military exercises with South Korea, citing his relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. The announcement came hours before the two countries were set to begin the annual Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise, scheduled to run August 17-27 with about 18,000 South Korean troops. Trump said it was too late to cancel the drills but ordered a substantial reduction, and cited the high cost of the exercises as well as South Korea's earlier refusal to join US-led efforts to denuclearize Iran. The number of combined field exercises involving battalion-size units or larger is expected to decline from 17 last year to 14 this year. North Korea's Foreign Ministry had warned days earlier that Pyongyang was prepared to respond with 'the most powerful and overwhelming force,' and North Korea test-fired a short-range ballistic missile near Wonsan shortly before the announcement. South Korea's Ministry of National Defense responded that the exercises would proceed as previously notified and scheduled.