On August 16, 2026, US President Trump stated that he has requested the Department of Defense to significantly reduce the scale of joint military exercises between the United States and South Korea. Trump posted on social media that these military exercises are "costly," with a significant portion being borne by the United States, while sending a "completely inappropriate and hostile signal" to North Korea. 

 He said that considering it is too late to cancel the military exercises now, he has instructed the Ministry of National Defense to "significantly reduce" the scale of the US South Korea joint military exercises. At the end of the post, Trump pointed out that he recently requested South Korea to work with the United States to promote "denuclearization of Iran", but was rejected by the South Korean side.Editor/Min Jing