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U.S. President Donald Trump said Sunday he had ordered a substantial reduction in joint military exercises with South Korea, citing their cost and his relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
South Korea, however, said Monday that the annual Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise had already begun and was proceeding as scheduled.
Trump said on his Truth Social platform that he was “not happy” about longstanding U.S. participation in the exercises with South 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,” Trump wrote.
He argued that the drills were costly and sent what he described as an inappropriate and hostile signal to Pyongyang.
“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 to a country that, as long as Donald J. Trump has been president, has been unthreatening and respectful,” he said.
Trump said it was too late to cancel the exercises altogether and that he had instructed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to “substantially reduce” them.
South Korea’s Defense Ministry said Monday that the joint exercise with the U.S. had started despite Trump’s announcement.
“The UFS exercise is proceeding as planned,” a ministry spokesperson said in a brief statement to reporters, according to Agence France-Presse (AFP).
Earlier Monday, the ministry said the drills would “proceed as previously notified and scheduled” when asked about Trump’s post.
South Korea’s presidential office also told AFP that Seoul and Washington had maintained close coordination over their joint defense posture and military training.
“South Korea and the United States have maintained close coordination on maintaining a firm combined defence posture and on their joint exercises and training, and will continue to coordinate closely,” the presidential office said.
The Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise began Monday and is scheduled to continue for 11 days.
The regular summer exercise is designed to prepare South Korean and U.S. forces for defense against nuclear-armed North Korea, according to AFP.
Around 18,000 South Korean troops are taking part alongside personnel from the U.S. military contingent of about 28,500 stationed in the country.
Col. Ryan Donald, spokesperson for the U.S. and South Korean Combined Forces Command, said last Monday that the exercise would simulate combat against North Korean troops that had gained battlefield experience through deployment in the Russia-Ukraine war, AFP reported.
Donald said the drills would also place greater emphasis on drone warfare, GPS disruption, and cyberattacks.
North Korea has repeatedly condemned the joint exercises, describing them as rehearsals for an invasion.
South Korea’s presidential office said Monday it hoped Trump’s relationship with Kim could lead to renewed dialogue between Washington and Pyongyang.
“The government is closely following President Trump’s social media message today and hopes that the friendly relationship between the leaders of the United States and North Korea will lead to meaningful dialogue,” the presidential office told AFP.
Trump held direct talks with Kim during his first presidential term in an effort to address North Korea’s nuclear weapons program. The talks ultimately failed to achieve that goal, and Trump last met Kim in person in 2019.
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, who took office in June 2025, has reversed the approach of his more hawkish predecessor and offered talks with North Korea without preconditions, according to AFP.
North Korea has yet to respond to Lee’s repeated offers.
Trump also said he had recently asked Lee whether South Korea would join Washington in efforts to “denuclearize Iran” and said the South Korean president replied, "No thanks,” according to Anadolu Agency.
The two Koreas remain technically at war because the 1950-53 Korean War, which began with a North Korean attack, ended with an armistice rather than a peace treaty.
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