Trump cuts back South Korea drills set to start with 18,000 troops
What's next: The move shrinks 10- or 11-day exercises meant to bolster readiness against North Korea after its recent missile activity.
President Donald Trump ordered the Pentagon to substantially reduce joint military exercises with South Korea that were due to begin Monday, arguing the drills are too costly and unnecessarily provocative toward North Korea. The planned exercise, described by US and South Korean officials as a 10- or 11-day operation involving about 18,000 South Korean troops, was intended to strengthen allied readiness against new threats from Pyongyang. Trump linked the decision to Seoul's refusal to join US efforts to denuclearize Iran and pointed to his relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. The pullback comes after North Korea warned of “stern” steps over the drills and after Seoul, Washington and Tokyo detected a North Korean short-range ballistic missile launch earlier this month.