President Donald Trump said the United States will significantly reduce joint military exercises with South Korea, citing his "very good relationship" with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
He also pointed out on the "Truth Social" website that South Korea recently refused to join the United States in "denuclearizing" Iran.
Trump wrote in his post: “Not only are these maneuvers costly, with the United States bearing a large portion of these costs (as usual!), but they also send a completely inappropriate and hostile message.”
Seoul said it was reviewing Trump's statements, expressing its hope that the positive relationship between Washington and Pyongyang would lead to serious talks. Pyongyang has not yet commented.
Earlier, South Korea said that the exercises with the United States would continue "as scheduled."
This comes after North Korea this month conducted ballistic missile tests banned by the United Nations.
Trump said in a social media post on Sunday that it was "too late to cancel it," at a time when the United States and South Korea were about to begin their annual military exercises on Monday.
He added: "Although the matter is somewhat unrelated, I recently asked the President of South Korea if they would like to join us in denuclearizing the Islamic Republic of Iran, and their response was: No, thank you."
Trump's announcement came less than 24 hours after he posted an old photo of himself with Kim Jong Un, dating back to 2019, and wrote that the two were good friends "despite the unfriendly look in this particular photo."
In a statement, the South Korean presidency said that it would continue diplomatic consultations regarding military cooperation between the United States and South Korea regarding the Strait of Hormuz, while discussing details of joint military exercises with the United States.
Experts believe that retreating from joint military exercises may have a high price, in exchange for a relatively limited benefit.
“Joint defense exercises between the United States and South Korea are essential to ensure the readiness and ability of military forces to perform their missions,” says Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul.
“Reducing the scale of these exercises could harm coordination within the alliance, slow the process of South Korea assuming greater responsibility for its defense, and weaken its ability to deter against any potential conflicts in Asia.”
He added: "The cost savings resulting from reducing the size of the exercises are marginal, while the diplomatic benefits for relations with North Korea remain questionable."
Last week, US and South Korean military commanders held a joint press conference to announce the Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise.
They stated that these maneuvers, which will last 11 days, will be similar in size to previous maneuvers, with the participation of about 18,000 South Korean soldiers.
During the press conference, military leaders also pointed to North Korea's deployment of its forces to support Russia in its war against Ukraine.
"Our training takes this threat into account," US military spokesman Ryan Donald said, referring to North Korean soldiers returning from the battlefield. About 28,500 American military personnel are stationed in South Korea.
On Friday, North Korea's Foreign Ministry condemned the joint military exercises, calling them a "rehearsal for an aggressive war."
These joint exercises come days after South Korea, the United States and Japan monitored North Korea's second missile test within days.
Pyongyang has intensified its efforts to expand its nuclear and missile programs since the collapse of Kim's high-level diplomatic efforts with Trump in 2019 during his first term in the White House.
Trump became the first sitting US president to visit North Korea seven years ago.
For Seoul, Trump's post carries an ambiguous message. On the one hand, Seoul called on Trump to reach out to Pyongyang, as the post raises hope that Kim can be brought back to the negotiating table.
But Trump also hints at his dissatisfaction with South Korea's unwillingness to make direct military or logistical contributions to the US conflict with Iran.
He also expressed dissatisfaction with the reluctance of other allies to get involved in the conflict, including Japan, France and Britain.
But Trump's move to reduce joint military exercises with South Korea is not a precedent of its kind.
He suspended the exercises completely in 2018, during denuclearization negotiations with Kim. He said at the time that the annual exercises were “provocative” towards North Korea, and that stopping them would save the United States “huge sums of money.”
This has complicated Washington's relationship with Seoul, which considers these forces a key pillar of its alliance with the United States.
Seoul tried to calm tensions earlier this year, pledging to invest $350 billion in the United States. Last year, South Korean President Lee Jae-myung described Trump as a peacemaker.
