Trump cuts Korea drills days before they start, cites Iran snub

Trump told Hegseth on Sunday to 'substantially reduce' the Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises set to run 17 to 27 August, involving roughly 18,000 South Korean troops, saying on Truth Social the drills are 'costly' and send a 'totally inappropriate and hostile' signal to a North Korea he calls 'unthreatening and respectful.' The trigger, by his own account: Seoul told him 'No thanks' when asked to help pressure Iran on denuclearization. This lands days after North Korea's second missile test in a week and Pyongyang's warning that the drills plus a new US nuclear strategy would spark a 'fresh arms race,' as Bloomberg reported. It also follows a pattern: spring's Freedom Shield exercises were already cut from 51 field maneuvers to 22. Seoul now has to decide whether reduced US commitment is the price of staying out of Washington's Iran diplomacy.