Trump snubs South Korea over ‘very good relationship’ with Kim –The U.S. president has ordered the Pentagon to substantially reduce joint military exercises with Seoul | 17 Aug 2026 | U.S. President Donald Trump has ordered the Pentagon to substantially scale back joint military exercises with South Korea, citing his “very good relationship” with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. In a Truth Social post on Sunday, Trump said he was “not happy” that Washington had agreed to take part in the annual exercises, which are due to begin on Monday. “These exercises are not only costly, with much of these costs paid for by the United States of America (as usual!), but send a signal that is totally inappropriate and hostile,” he wrote, describing North Korea as “unthreatening and respectful” during his presidency. Trump said it was too late to cancel the drills outright and had therefore instructed Secretary of War Pete Hegseth to “substantially reduce” them.