US President Donald Trump has ordered the Pentagon to scale back planned joint military exercises with South Korea, saying it declined to help denuclearise Iran while citing his good relationship with Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) leader Kim Jong Un.

Hours before exercises were scheduled to begin, Trump said in a post on his Truth Social site that although it was too late to cancel the exercises entirely, he was "not happy" that the United States had previously agreed to participate.

He said the exercises are not only costly but “send a signal that is totally inappropriate and hostile” to North Korea, which he said “has been unthreatening and respectful” while Trump has been in the White House.

He also pointed to South Korea's stance on the US-Israeli conflict with Iran.

"While somewhat unrelated (?), I recently asked the President of South Korea if they would like to join us in the Denuclearization of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and they said, 'No thanks!'" Trump wrote.

The annual Ulchi Freedom Shield joint military exercises are scheduled to run from August 17 to 27, with about 18,000 South Korean military personnel participating. The drills are expected to include operations to counter drones, disrupt GPS signals and cyberattacks to adapt to the DPRK's evolving capabilities, officials said last week.

North Korea on Friday threatened unspecified stern steps against the US and South Korea, describing their military drills as a “a rehearsal for an aggressive war” that are triggering greater instability in the region.

Pyongyang last Wednesday fired a ballistic missile from its eastern coast, the South Korean and Japanese militaries said, six days after a similar North Korean short-range ballistic missile launch on August 6.

Trump met with the DPRK leader three times during his first term to discuss the country’s nuclear programme, most recently in 2019. Since returning to office, Trump has expressed interest in continuing those discussions.

This is not the first time that Trump has sought to end the exercises. During his first term, he also issued a surprise announcement that called the wargames “provocative.”

“We will be stopping the war games, which will save us a tremendous amount of money, unless and until we see the future negotiation is not going along like it should,” Trump told reporters after his 2018 meeting with Kim in Singapore. (Agencies)



Edited by Cecil Wong