U.S. 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,
Reuters reports.
Hours before exercises were scheduled to begin, Trump said on his Truth Social site he was "not happy" that the U.S. had agreed to participate and highlighted his "very good relationship" with Kim Jong Un, the leader of nuclear-armed and heavily sanctioned North Korea.
"These exercises are not only costly... 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.
The annual Ulchi Freedom Shield joint military exercises are scheduled to run until August 27, with about 18,000 South Korean military personnel participating.
South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff told Reuters the drills started on Monday as scheduled, but declined comment on Trump's remarks. The country's presidential office and defense and foreign ministries did not immediately respond on a public holiday in Seoul.
A Pentagon spokesperson referred questions on the matter to the White House, which did not immediately respond to a request for details.
