"Based on my very good relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, I am not happy that the United States has long ago planned joint military exercises with South Korea. These exercises are not only costly; most of these costs are borne by the United States, as always! They also send a completely inappropriate and hostile signal to a country that has been non-threatening and respectful during Donald Trump's Presidency," Trump said.
Sharing a photo taken with Kim Jong Un, Trump said, "Despite the hostile look in this photo, there are many photos of us smiling, Kim Jong Un and I get along very well!" he said.
South Korea has been a close ally of the United States for more than 70 years, and the two countries have a mutual defense agreement aimed primarily at protecting themselves from North Korea.
North Korea is a rapidly growing military power with nuclear warheads and intercontinental ballistic missiles and has long expressed dissatisfaction with these exercises.
The United States and South Korea frequently hold joint military exercises, and South Korea hosts Camp Humphreys, the largest US overseas military installation that houses tens of thousands of American service members. The exact number is 26 thousand 589 US soldiers.
Trump also criticized South Korea's failure to support the US war against Iran, as requested by the US.
"Somewhat unrelated, but I recently asked the President of South Korea if they wanted to participate in the denuclearization of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and he said, 'No thanks!'" Trump said. "they said," he wrote.
The president often criticizes allies for not helping the war effort.
South Korea stated that it was "in close communication with the United States to contribute in significant and military ways" to freedom of passage in the Strait of Hormuz and participated in international talks.
North Korean leader Kim said that the US's war with Iran proved that his country's decision to retain its nuclear weapons was correct after the failure of nuclear disarmament talks with the US during Trump's first term.
In a speech to the Supreme People's Congress of North Korea published in March, Kim accused Washington of "acts of state-sponsored terrorism and aggression."
Kim has yet to comment on Trump's plan to scale back the drills. He reaffirmed Pyongyang's deepening ties with Russia in a message to Russian President Vladimir Putin over the weekend, according to state media. North Korea provided troops and missile support in Moscow's war against Ukraine.
Trump met with Kim Jong Un three times for nuclear disarmament talks during his first term, but these talks were inconclusive.
Last year, Trump said during a meeting with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung at the White House that he was willing to meet with Kim Jong Un again to discuss peace on the Korean Peninsula.
The president said in 2018 that it was "inappropriate to hold war games" on the Korean Peninsula at a time when the United States was engaged in nuclear negotiations with North Korea.
In March 2019, after the Trump-Kim summit in Hanoi that ended in failure to reach an agreement, the United States and South Korea announced that annual large-scale exercises, a common feature of the two militaries' defense relationship, would be converted into smaller exercises.
When making this decision, Trump cited the cost to the USA in 2019. “The reason I do not want to conduct military exercises with South Korea is to save the United States hundreds of millions of dollars in unreimbursed dollars,” he wrote.
