South Korea-US Drills
---
South Korea-US Drills
REPORTER:
Seoul says joint US-South Korea military drills are proceeding on Monday as scheduled, despite comments from US President Donald Trump to scale back the exercises.
In a social media post, Trump criticized the annual drills as costly, adding that they send an inappropriate and hostile message to Pyongyang. This comes after North Korea reportedly launched two ballistic missiles in the lead up to the exercises. In his post, Trump also referred to South Korea’s refusal to help the US with the Iran war. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff declined to comment on Trump's comments.
---
South Korea-US Drill
REPORTER:
US President Donald Trump has ordered a scale-down of annual joint military drills with South Korea just hours before their planned start.
In a social media post, Trump said the drills are costly and cited Seoul’s refusal to help the US in its war against Iran. He added the drills send an inappropriate and hostile message to Pyongyang. The move marks a departure from previous US policy on South Korea and signals Trump’s willingness to side with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on key issues. Pyongyang launched two ballistic missiles in the leadup to the drills.
---
Ulchi Freedom Shield
REPORTER:
Seoul said a joint South Korea-US military will proceed as usual, despite the White House calling to scale back just hours before its start.
US President Donald Trump said on social media the drills are costly and send an inappropriate and hostile message to Pyongyang, he also cited Seoul’s refusal to assist US military operations against Iran. The comments came after North Korea conducted ballistic missile tests in the leadup to the drills. Trump became the first ever sitting US president to set foot in North Korea, when he visited in 2019 to discuss denuclearization.
