President Donald Trump has ordered a substantial reduction in US participation in the annual Ulchi Freedom Shield military exercises with South Korea, saying North Korea has not been threatening. South Korea’s defense ministry says the drills are running as scheduled.
DR reports that Trump set out his position in a post on his social platform Truth Social. He wrote that he has a very good relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, and that Pyongyang has been respectful rather than threatening during his presidency.
For that reason, Trump argued, the joint exercise sends an inappropriate and hostile signal. According to The Guardian, he said it was too late to cancel the drills, but that he had instructed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to substantially reduce US involvement.
The exercise began Monday and is scheduled to run until August 27, DR reports. Around 18,000 South Korean soldiers are taking part alongside US forces. As noted by the Straits Times, the number of US troops involved after Trump’s order remains unclear.
Military assessments point the other way
Camilla Tenna Nørup Sørensen, associate professor at the Institute for Strategy and War Studies at the Royal Danish Defence College, told DR that Trump’s description of North Korea contradicts US security analysts, intelligence services and the US military. She said it also runs counter to assessments from the South Korean and Japanese armed forces.
South Korea’s Defence Ministry has said the exercise is proceeding as planned and started as previously notified, according to Xinhua. The ministry added that it would provide updates if there were developments.
This year’s drills were designed around evolving North Korean capabilities, Reuters reported on August 10, including scenarios involving drones, cyberattacks and GPS disruption. The Guardian reports that US and South Korean military officials warn North Korean troops have gained modern combat experience from Russia’s war against Ukraine.
Lieutenant General Scott Winter, deputy commander of the United Nations Command, has said that experience is being factored into the planning of this year’s exercise, according to RBC Ukraine, citing NK News. He also pointed to opportunities North Korea has had to test missile systems.
North Korea denounced the 2026 exercise as more provocative than last year’s and vowed to strengthen its nuclear deterrent, Reuters reported on August 13. DR notes that Pyongyang carried out new ballistic missile tests in the days before the drills began.
Sørensen told DR that the announcement follows a familiar pattern. Trump has criticized the cost of the exercises and faulted South Korea for not contributing to US efforts against Iran. After his first summit with Kim in 2018, he suspended large joint drills, calling them provocative and citing savings for the United States.
Under President Joe Biden, the direction was reversed, Sørensen said, with closer military cooperation between the US, South Korea and other allies in Asia.
