# Trump orders steep cut in US-South Korea drills, cites Kim ties 2026-08-17T05:31:20+00:00 | World & Diplomacy | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 2 independent outlets US President Donald Trump has directed Secretary of War Pete Hegseth to "substantially reduce" joint military exercises with South Korea, citing his relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. In a post on Truth Social, Trump called the drills costly and said they sent a signal that was "inappropriate and hostile" to a country that had been "unthreatening and respectful" under his presidency. NDTV reported that South Korea's defence ministry said the drills would "proceed as previously notified and scheduled." News18 reported that Trump claimed he had asked South Korean President Lee Jae Myung if Seoul would join the US in the "denuclearisation of the Islamic Republic of Iran," but said South Korea declined. Trump said cancelling the exercises completely was no longer possible due to their timing. The joint exercises, called "Ulchi Freedom Shield," are scheduled from August 17 to August 27. North Korea has criticised the drills, warning they would increase tensions on the Korean Peninsula. ## Coverage - ndtv.com - news.abplive.com This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above. Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources. Last updated 2026-08-17T05:47:21+00:00. Tags: Donald Trump, Kim Jong Un, North Korea, South Korea Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/trump-cites-good-ties-with-kim-to-scale-back-south-korea-drills/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/trump-cites-good-ties-with-kim-to-scale-back-south-korea-drills/#story-in-brief How this brief was made: an AI model read the reports linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. Stance labels are editorial classifications of how each outlet framed this story, assigned by the same model, not ratings of the outlets. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/