South Korea’s annual joint military exercises with the United States began as scheduled on Monday, August 17, despite U.S. President Donald Trump’s call to “substantially reduce” the drills. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff confirmed that the Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises had started but declined to comment on Trump’s remarks. The drills are scheduled to run through August 27 and involve about 18,000 South Korean troops.
Trump said on Truth Social on Sunday that it was too late to cancel the exercises entirely but that he was “not happy” the United States had agreed to participate. He criticized the drills as costly and said they sent an inappropriate and hostile signal to North Korea, while also highlighting his “very good relationship” with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
The exercises are expected to focus on evolving threats from North Korea, including drone operations, GPS disruption and cyberattacks.
Analysts said Trump’s remarks could signal an effort to improve relations with Pyongyang, potentially raising questions about the future scale and purpose of joint U.S.-South Korean military exercises.
Photo: Reuters
