Trump Defends Scaling Back of South Korea Military Exercise
The Pentagon said about 28,500 U.S. troops are involved as Trump orders a smaller drill and shifts a carrier toward the Middle East.
- On Truth Social Sunday, President Trump ordered Secretary of War Pete Hegseth to substantially reduce joint military exercises with South Korea, citing high costs and his "very good relationship" with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
- Trump had requested South Korea assist with his Iran war, but South Korean President Lee Jae-Myung declined, prompting Trump to argue the United States should not bear the burden of 39,000 soldiers guarding the region.
- The Pentagon confirmed Monday it is actively working on executing the Commander-in-Chief's directive regarding the annual Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise, which involves about 28,500 U.S. troops.
- Protesters gathered in Seoul on Monday to oppose the exercises, while Japan is forging closer ties with South Korea amid growing anxieties about U.S. reliability in the region.
- Trump previously promised to halt exercises in 2018, calling them "provocative." Last week, he ordered the USS George Washington to the Middle East, reducing Pacific carrier coverage as regional tensions persist.
24 Articles
24 Articles
The US President shortens military exercises with South Korea and wants more money from Seoul – to the delight of North Korea's dictator Kim Jong Un. Reporters' questions are dealt with by Trump with personal attacks as usual.
(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporters Kim Hyo-jeong and Kim Cheol-seon = Amid President Donald Trump's order to reduce South Korea-U.S. joint military exercises, moves by military authorities to implement this are becoming concrete...
Guest Column: Korean Peninsula: One small step in the right direction
BY TOM KNAPP “President Donald Trump’s decision to scale back joint military exercises with South Korea,” Matthew Lee and Ben Finley write for the Associated Press, “does not just slight a longtime ally but raises broader concerns about the security interests of the United States in Asia and elsewhere.” Trump’s reason for supposedly, and in unspecified ways, downsizing the annual “Ulchi Freedom Shield” exercise is that South Korea has been insuf…
Donald Trump's decision to reduce joint military exercises with South Korea deepened concerns about the reliability of the United States among Indo-Pacific allies, who were already apprehensive about American rhetoric about Taiwan. Exclusive subject matter for subscribers. To have full access, access the link of the subject and register.
'Why should US protect you from Kim?': Trump defends S Korea military drill cuts over Iran war rift
US President Donald Trump has criticised South Korea after Seoul declined his request to assist the United States in its military operation against Iran. Trump said the decision prompted Washington to scale back military drills with the key US ally, while questioning why the United States should continue spending billions of dollars to defend South Korea from North Korea. Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump said he had personally cal…
Several Democratic legislators in the U.S. Congress, but also a Republican senator, criticized President Donald Trump's decision to reduce the scope of joint military exercises with South Korea.
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