South Korea and US launch joint military drills despite Trump's push for cuts
Joint US-South Korea military exercises have begun as scheduled despite Donald Trump's calls to substantially cut future bilateral maneuvers.
Joint military maneuvers between the United States and South Korea have begun on schedule, despite US President Donald Trump calling for significant cutbacks to future bilateral exercises.
Trump stated on Truth Social that the joint drills were overly costly and sent a "totally inappropriate and hostile" signal toward North Korea, citing his personal ties with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. While acknowledging it was too late to call off the ongoing 11-day "Ulchi Freedom Shield" operations, he pushed for future reductions.
Authorities in Seoul confirmed that the planned maneuvers are underway with thousands of troops. South Korean officials emphasized that the government will maintain close security alignment and ongoing coordination with Washington, even as field training exercises are modestly adjusted compared to previous years.
Sources: Der Spiegel, DW, FAZ, ORF, Tagesschau.
Sources
- ORF — Trump will Militärübungen mit Südkorea verringern
- Tagesschau — Südkorea und USA beginnen gemeinsame Militärübung
- DW — Trump bremst Militärmanöver mit Südkorea aus
- Der Spiegel — Südkorea: Regierung setzt trotz Trump-Kritik auf enge Kooperation mit USA
- FAZ — USA unter Trump: Südkorea will sich mit den USA weiter „eng koordinieren“
Earlier coverage
- Aug 19, 2026, 03:00 AM UTCSouth Korea vows close US ties despite Trump push to scale back military drills
- Aug 19, 2026, 02:30 AM UTCUS-South Korea military drills begin amid Trump push to scale back maneuvers
- Aug 18, 2026, 03:30 AM UTCTrump seeks to scale back joint military drills with South Korea