Seoul, South Korea – 2025/01/24: The 24-hour Yonhap News TV broadcast from Seoul Station aired a newscast using file footage of US President Donald Trump (left) and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (right).
Kim Jae Hwan | Sopa Images | Light Rocket | Getty Images
South Korea’s military announced Wednesday it would cut its annual joint military exercises with the United States by about half, after President Donald Trump ordered the Pentagon to scale back and reportedly pushed for talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un this fall.
The period of the annual Ulchi Freedom Shield joint exercise will be shortened from August 17 to 21, according to a statement from South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, noting that the decision was at the suggestion of the United States. The program was originally scheduled to end on August 27th.
According to the military, the allies have also decided to scale back some joint field exercises, although the details are still being discussed between the two countries.
The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday that President Trump is pressuring his aides to set up a meeting with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un as soon as this fall, in a bid to revive personal diplomacy with the reclusive leader. The two previously met in person in Singapore in 2018 during President Trump’s first term.
The newspaper said President Trump is privately considering arranging a face-to-face meeting with Kim during his next trip to Asia, possibly to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Conference in Shenzhen, China, in November.
This comes after President Trump ordered Army Secretary Pete Hegseth to “significantly” scale back a joint military exercise that took place on Sunday night in the United States, shortly before it began on Monday.
The move marks the latest escalation in President Trump’s outreach to North Korea and threatens to undermine a 70-year alliance with South Korea that was already shattered by the transfer of wartime operational control and South Korea’s refusal to support U.S. efforts against Iran.
The allies were planning 14 combined field training programs to run alongside the command post exercise this year, which would involve about 18,000 South Korean troops, according to the Associated Press.
Jennifer Kavanaugh, senior researcher and director of military analysis at Defense Priorities, said allies are likely to respond to reduced U.S. involvement by building up their military capabilities, increasing defense spending and forming new partnerships with neighbors.
Defense autonomy would bring foreign policy independence and end the anxiety associated with outsourcing defense to foreign powers, he said.
He also pointed to increased defense budgets and deepening cooperation between Japan, the Philippines, South Korea, and Australia, adding that “over time, our allies will become more self-sufficient and less needful of the United States.”
Kavanagh said that for the United States, the benefits of reduced influence in Asia would “far outweigh” the loss of influence, as a reduced defense burden would mean more money directed toward domestic priorities and reduce the risk of major wars, including one with China.
—CNBC’s Jenny Lee contributed to this report.
