President Donald Trump says he has instructed Secretary of War Pete Hegseth to _“substantially reduce”_ joint U.S.–South Korean military exercises.

Trump said the drills are costly and send an _“inappropriate and hostile” _signal to North Korea, citing his relationship with Kim Jong Un.

Trump also claimed South Korean President Lee Jae Myung rejected a request to join U.S. efforts to _“denuclearize”_ Iran, which he described as _“somewhat unrelated”_ to the drills. 

The Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise was scheduled to begin August 17 and run through August 27, involving about 18,000 South Korean troops.