--- title: "Trump Announces Reduction in US-South Korea Joint Military Drills" description: "Most outlets reported that President Donald Trump announced a substantial reduction in joint military exercises with South Korea, citing cost and diplomatic considerations. One outlet highlighted Trump’s mention of South Korea’s refusal to join US actions against Iran as a reason, while another noted his reference to his “very good relationship” with North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un." url: https://harzaviya.com/stories/3516-trump-says-us-will-reduce-military-exercises-with-south site: HarZaviya language: en --- # Trump Announces Reduction in US-South Korea Joint Military Drills world · latest filing 18 Aug 2026, 7:08 AM PKT · 17–18 Aug 2026 · 10 articles from 8 outlets over 2 developments ## How it developed Newest development first. Each carries its own coverage and, where we have one, our summary of it. ### 18 Aug 2026 — Trump Announces Reduction in US-South Korea Joint Military Drills (3 outlets) > Most outlets reported that President Donald Trump announced a substantial reduction in joint military exercises with South Korea, citing cost and diplomatic considerations. One outlet highlighted Trump’s mention of South Korea’s refusal to join US actions against Iran as a reason, while another noted his reference to his “very good relationship” with North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un. - **The Nation** — [Trump says US to reduce military drills with South Korea after it stayed out of Iran war](https://www.nation.com.pk/18-Aug-2026/trump-says-us-reduce-military-drills-south-korea-stayed-iran-war) · 18 Aug 2026, 7:08 AM PKT > WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump has said the US will “substantially reduce” joint military exercises with South Korea, citing his “very good relationship” with North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un. - **The Express Tribune** — [Trump orders cutting back military exercises with South Korea](https://tribune.com.pk/story/2624512/trump-orders-cutting-back-military-exercises-with-south-korea) · 18 Aug 2026, 2:30 AM PKT · 70% identical wording to the newest filing > Says military drills send 'inappropriate and hostile' signal to North Korea - **Daily Times** — [Trump orders major cut in South Korea drills](https://dailytimes.com.pk/1539764/trump-orders-major-cut-in-south-korea-drills/) · 18 Aug 2026, 12:02 AM PKT · 84% identical wording to the newest filing > US President Donald Trump has ordered the Pentagon to substantially reduce joint military exercises with South Korea. He cited their cost and Seoul’s refusal to join US actions against Iran. Trump said the exercises sent an inappropriate and hostile signal to North Korea. He also highlighted his relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. […] ### 17 Aug 2026 — Trump orders reduction of US-South Korea military exercises (7 outlets) > Most outlets reported that US President Donald Trump instructed the Pentagon to substantially reduce joint military exercises with South Korea, citing the cost of the drills and Seoul’s refusal to support US actions against Iran. While the framing of the reason for the reduction was largely consistent, some outlets, like The News International and Aaj News, placed more emphasis on the context of South Korea’s perceived snub over Iran, whereas others, like Dawn and Business Recorder, included both cost and Iran-related factors in a more balanced manner. - **Daily Times** — [Trump orders cut in US-South Korea military drills](https://dailytimes.com.pk/1539572/trump-orders-cut-in-us-south-korea-military-drills/) · 17 Aug 2026, 12:08 PM PKT > US President Donald Trump has ordered the Pentagon to substantially reduce joint military exercises with South Korea. He cited the high cost of the drills and Seoul’s refusal to support US actions against Iran. Trump made the announcement hours before the exercises were scheduled to begin. He said cancelling the drills entirely was no longer […] - **Business Recorder** — [Trump orders Pentagon to cut back military exercises with South Korea](https://www.brecorder.com/news/40435174/trump-orders-pentagon-to-cut-back-military-exercises-with-south-korea) · 17 Aug 2026, 11:40 AM PKT · 91% identical wording to the newest filing > WASHINGTON/SEOUL: US President Donald Trump on Sunday instructed the Pentagon to “substantially reduce” joint military exercises with long-term Asian ally South Korea, citing the cost of the drills and Seoul’s refusal to take part in actions against Iran. Hours before exercises were scheduled to begin, Trump said on his Truth Social site he was “not happy” that the US had agreed to participate ... - **Dawn** — [Trump orders Pentagon to cut back military exercises with South Korea, citing costs and lack of help with Iran](https://www.dawn.com/news/2023402/trump-orders-pentagon-to-cut-back-military-exercises-with-south-korea-citing-costs-and-lack-of-help-with-iran) · 17 Aug 2026, 9:42 AM PKT · 89% identical wording to the newest filing > US President Donald Trump on Sunday instructed the Pentagon to “substantially reduce” 10 days of joint military exercises with South Korea as they were about to get underway, citing the cost of the drills and Seoul’s refusal to take part in actions against Iran. Hours before exercises were scheduled to begin, Trump said on his Truth Social site that although it was too late to cancel the drills... - **Aaj News (English)** — [Trump moves to cut US-South Korea military drills over Iran snub](https://english.aaj.tv/news/330468172/trump-moves-to-cut-us-south-korea-military-drills-over-iran-snub) · 17 Aug 2026, 8:40 AM PKT · 87% identical wording to the newest filing > US President Donald Trump on Sunday instructed the Pentagon to “substantially reduce” 10 days of joint military exercises with ‌South Korea as they were about to get underway, citing the cost of the drills and Seoul’s refusal to take part in actions against Iran. Hours before exercises were scheduled to begin, Trump said on his Truth Social site that although it was too late to cancel the drill... - **The Express Tribune** — [Trump orders Pentagon to cut back military exercises with South Korea](https://tribune.com.pk/story/2624341/trump-orders-pentagon-to-cut-back-military-exercises-with-south-korea) · 17 Aug 2026, 6:05 AM PKT · 87% identical wording to the newest filing > US president cites cost of drills, Seoul's refusal to join war against Iran - **The News International** — [Trump says US will reduce military exercises with South Korea over Iran](https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/1412518-trump-says-us-will-reduce-military-exercises-with-south-korea-over-iran) · 17 Aug 2026, 5:10 AM PKT · 81% identical wording to the newest filing > US President Donald Trump says the United States will reduce joint military exercises with South Korea, citing his relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Seoul's refusal to assist Washington in its war with Iran.Trump criticised the exercises in a Truth Social post on Sunday,... - **Dunya News** — [Trump says US will reduce military exercises with South Korea](https://dunyanews.tv/en/World/968262-trump-says-us-will-reduce-military-exercises-with-south-korea) · 17 Aug 2026, 3:18 AM PKT · 79% identical wording to the newest filing > The joint exercises with South Korea, called Ulchi Freedom Shield military drills, were set to begin Aug 17 and go for 10 days. ## Part of a bigger story Other stories whose coverage resembles this one, nearest first. "% related" compares whole stories, not single articles — see [what the percentages mean](https://harzaviya.com/methodology). - [US and South Korea shorten military drills following Trump order](https://harzaviya.com/stories/3841-us-south-korea-cut-annual-war-games-short-after-trump) · 19 Aug 2026 · 6 outlets · 86% related - [Trump announces scaled-back US-South Korea military drills hours before start](https://harzaviya.com/stories/3538-trump-says-us-scaling-back-military-drills-with-seoul-hours) · 17 Aug 2026 · 2 outlets · 83% related - [US Senators Criticize Trump's Decision to Scale Back US-South Korea Drills](https://harzaviya.com/stories/3659-bipartisan-backlash-as-trump-scales-back-us-south-korea) · 18 Aug 2026 · 2 outlets · 80% related - [Top US Democrat criticises Trump's decision to reduce South Korea military drills](https://harzaviya.com/stories/3629-top-us-democrat-slams-trump-s-inane-move-to-shrink-south) · 17 Aug 2026 · 2 outlets · 73% related - [Trump says North Korea's Kim has responded to his overtures after US scales back drills with South Korea](https://harzaviya.com/stories/3658-trump-says-north-korea-s-kim-has-responded-to-his-overtures) · 19 Aug 2026 · 8 outlets · 2 developments · 71% related 10 articles from 8 outlets, 17–18 Aug 2026. 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