Trump criticizes military exercises with South Korea - orders reduction

"Based on my very good relationship with North Korea's Kim Jong-un, I am not happy that the United States long ago agreed to participate in joint military exercises with South Korea," Trump writes on the Truth Social platform.

According to the president, the exercises are costly for the United States, but above all they send a signal that is "totally inappropriate and hostile" to North Korea - a country that, according to Trump, "has only been respectful and not threatening" during his time as president.

Too late to cancel

The next joint exercise with South Korea begins on Monday and has been planned for a long time, and "therefore cannot be canceled", according to Trump.

"I have now instructed Secretary of War Pete Hegseth to greatly reduce the exercises".

Trump also took the opportunity to mention that he recently asked South Korean President Lee Jae Myung if the country wanted to join the "nuclear disarmament of Iran".

"They answered 'no thanks!'".

South Korea's Defense Ministry announced a few hours after Trump's announcement that the ten-day military exercise with the United States had begun as planned, but declined to comment on the outcome, Reuters reports.