US President Donald Trump announced that he had instructed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to substantially reduce the scope of joint military drills planned with South Korea.
Trump cited his relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and the cost of the exercises among the reasons for the decision announced on Sunday. Saying that the United States bears a significant share of the expenses, Trump argued that the drills sent an inappropriate and hostile message to Pyongyang.

He said it was too late for a complete cancellation
Trump said it was now too late to end the joint military activities entirely and stated that he had therefore asked Hegseth to significantly reduce the scope of the drills.
Trump also linked his decision to a separate conversation with South Korea. He said he had asked South Korean President Lee Jae Myung whether Seoul would join Washington’s effort to denuclearize Iran, adding that Lee had rejected the proposal.