US President Donald Trump said on August 16 that he had instructed Secretary of War Pete Hegseth to “substantially reduce” US participation in joint military exercises with South Korea. His announcement came less than 24 hours before the scheduled opening of Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS), the allies’ annual exercise, planned to run from August 17 to 27. Trump linked the decision to his “very good relationship” with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, writing on Truth Social that he was unhappy the United States had agreed to take part in the drills. Trump and Kim met face to face three times between 2018 and 2019.
Trump argued that large-scale exercises were inappropriate while communication with Pyongyang remained possible. He called the maneuvers a “massive war exercise” that could offend Kim, criticized their cost and said the United States carried most of the financial burden. He also tied the decision to diplomatic friction with Seoul, saying South Korean President Lee Jae-myung had declined to participate in US-led efforts aimed at Iran’s denuclearization. In separate remarks on August 20, Trump cited South Korea’s refusal to assist with security operations related to the Strait of Hormuz. He said the country gets “60 per cent” of its oil through the waterway.
UFS 2026 was scheduled as an 11-day combined exercise, with about 18,000 South Korean personnel alongside US forces. Planned training covered precision-targeting practice and wet-gap crossings, as well as responses to drone threats and other electronic-warfare or cyber risks. The United States maintains roughly 28,500 military personnel in South Korea. Trump’s instruction addressed the scale of US participation, not a formal cancellation of the annual training program or a change to the US-Republic of Korea Mutual Defense Treaty. South Korea’s Ministry of Defense said the exercise would proceed as planned, stressing its defensive purpose and the importance of integrated operations.
Military activity linked to UFS was visible at Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek on August 17, when the exercise began. South Korean media reported that the allies were conducting their annual second-half exercise despite Trump’s order to reduce its scale. That left questions about the extent of the reduction in practice. Combined training rehearses coordination across command structures and forces, rather than serving only as a public signal. The debate also concerns wartime command responsibilities and the interoperability required for peninsula defense.
North Korea has repeatedly condemned US-South Korean exercises, calling them rehearsals for invasion, while Washington and Seoul describe them as defensive preparations. A Korean Basic News Agency commentary called the allies “warmongers.” The article also reports that Pyongyang launched its eleventh ballistic missile of the year toward the Sea of Japan just days before Trump’s announcement, drawing condemnation from the United States and South Korea. North Korean weapons activity and allied training sharpen the competing security claims shaping the peninsula.
Trump said on August 19 that he expected to meet Kim later in 2026, presenting engagement as a security strategy. “Now, what I’m doing is making things safer, just the opposite,” he said. If it takes place, the meeting would be his first with Kim during his second presidential term. The exercise dispute also sits within a wider debate over the role of US forces in South Korea and whether their mission could extend beyond the peninsula, including to Taiwan and the Middle East. A sustained reduction in combined training could affect deterrence against North Korea and the allies’ ability to coordinate wider regional operations.
