President Donald Trump ordered the Pentagon on Monday to substantially reduce planned joint military exercises with South Korea, hours before they were to begin. The 11‑day drill involves roughly 18,000 South Korean and U.S. troops and emphasizes drone warfare, GPS disruption and cyber operations. Trump posted on his Truth Social platform that he was unhappy with the drills, describing them as "inappropriate and hostile" and noting the cost to the United States. He instructed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to "substantially reduce" the exercises rather than cancel them. Analysts said that downsizing the drills could harm alliance coordination, slow South Korea’s move toward greater self‑defence and weaken deterrence in the region. North Korea has condemned the exercises as rehearsals for invasion and warned it could respond with a new level of deterrent. The United States stations about 28,500 troops in South Korea to counter Pyongyang’s threats, a legacy of the 1950‑53 Korean War armistice. South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, who took office in June 2025, has offered talks with Pyongyang without preconditions and aims to formally end the Korean War, but North Korean leaders have said they will continue to accelerate their armament build‑up. The Pentagon said the exercise will proceed as scheduled, and the South Korean defence ministry confirmed it will carry out the drills as previously notified.