Trump seeks to scale back joint military drills with South Korea

United States President Donald Trump announced plans to significantly reduce joint military exercises with South Korea, citing high costs and arguing the maneuvers send an inappropriately hostile signal toward North Korea. Trump also referenced his relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, though he noted it was too late to completely cancel the current round of annual drills.

Despite the announcement, the joint "Ulchi Freedom Shield" exercises commenced as scheduled, involving thousands of troops alongside a reduced number of field operations compared to previous iterations. In response to Washington's stance, officials in Seoul stated that South Korea will continue to maintain close coordination and security cooperation with the US administration.

Sources: Der Spiegel, DW, FAZ, ORF, Tagesschau.