New snub addressed by the American president to one of the historic allies of the United States. Donald Trump announced, Sunday August 16, “considerably reducing” the participation of the United States in joint military exercises with its historic ally South Korea because of its “very good relationship with Kim Jong-un”, the leader of North Korea.
The American president denounced on his Truth Social platform exercises that are “not only costly” and which according to him “send a totally inappropriate and hostile signal” towards North Korea, which, “since Donald Trump has been president, has shown itself to be non-threatening and respectful.”
Called “Ulchi Freedom Shield”, these maneuvers are planned for 11 days and are expected to mobilize 18,000 South Korean soldiers as well as personnel from the American contingent of 28,500 men stationed in the country. A regular summer event for the South Korean armed forces and their American allies, they are designed to prepare them for defense against North Korea, which also has nuclear weapons.
Seoul banks on “friendly relationship” between Washington and Pyongyang
For its part, the South Korean Ministry of Defense affirmed on Monday that these annual exercises began “as planned”.
South Korea also said it hoped that the personal understanding between Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un would bring them back to the negotiating table.
“The government is closely following the message published today by President Trump on social media and hopes that the friendly relationship between the leaders of the United States and North Korea will lead to a constructive dialogue,” announced the South Korean presidential office in a statement sent to AFP.
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Seoul’s non-participation in operations against Iran mentioned
On Truth Social, Donald Trump also mentioned Seoul’s non-participation in US military operations against Iran.
“Although relatively unrelated(?), I recently asked the President of South Korea if they would join us in denuclearizing the Islamic Republic of Iran and they said ‘No thanks!'” the US president wrote.
South Korean President Lee Jae-myung said in June, amid a lull in the conflict between the United States and Iran, that Donald Trump now wanted to focus on resolving “the North Korean issue.”
Considered conciliatory towards North Korea, Lee Jae-myung has taken the opposite view from his predecessor, known for his firmness, since coming to power in June 2025, offering Pyongyang talks without preconditions.
But the North Korean authorities have so far not responded to these repeated offers.
Trump touts his relationship with Kim Jong-un
The day before, Donald Trump had published an image on Truth Social showing him alongside Kim Jong-un during their historic meeting in 2019, during the billionaire’s first term.
“Despite the unfriendly appearance in this particular photo, there are plenty of us smiling,” he wrote in the caption, adding, “Kim Jong-un and I get along VERY WELL!”
Pyongyang denounced the upcoming joint military exercises between Washington and Seoul on Thursday, and warned of a possible response with stronger “dissuasion” measures.
North Korea sees the drills as a rehearsal for an invasion and fired a ballistic missile over the Sea of Japan on Wednesday in protest.
“Our constant principle, to guarantee security, is to respond to a new level of threat with a new level of deterrence,” a spokesperson for the North Korean Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Thursday.
North Korea is playing an increasingly active role in international conflicts, including supporting Russia in its war in Ukraine.
On Sunday, North Korean state media highlighted that Kim Jong-un said he was “proud” of his relationship with Russia in a letter sent to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
With AFP
