President Donald Trump has instructed the Pentagon to substantially reduce joint military exercises with South Korea, citing the cost and the signal it sends to North Korea. In a social media post, Trump mentioned his ‘very good relationship’ with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and expressed dissatisfaction with the exercises.
Background
The annual Ulchi Freedom Shield joint military drills are scheduled to run from August 17 to 27. Trump also pointed to South Korea’s stance on the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, stating that South Korea declined to join the U.S. in the denuclearization of Iran.
Original reporting: Appleton, WI News Feed (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
