August 17, 2026

United States President Donald Trump said on Sunday that he has ordered the Pentagon to "substantially reduce" joint military exercises with the Republic of Korea, announcing the decision just before the two countries' annual drill kicked off.

Observers said the abrupt message might be interpreted as the Trump administration's intention to engage with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea for future talks, while some said it could also be an attempt, driven by domestic pressure, to shift the focus from the prolonged Iran conflict, in which the US has been mired.

"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, to a country that, as long as Donald J Trump has been President, has been unthreatening and respectful," Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social, referring to the DPRK as he cited his "very good relationship" with the country's top leader Kim Jong-un.

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https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202608/17/WS6a832e17a3106bc57421bf5e.html