Trump orders cut to US-South Korea drills before 11-day exercise
What's new: The move comes as North Korea fired 2 ballistic missiles in 6 days and 18,000 South Korean troops were set to join the drills.
President Donald Trump ordered the Pentagon to scale back upcoming joint military exercises with South Korea, a day before the 11-day Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise was due to begin. Trump argued the drills cost too much for the United States and send a hostile signal to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. The annual exercise is meant to bolster readiness on the Korean Peninsula, where about 28,500 US troops are stationed, and this year's plan called for roughly 18,000 South Korean troops. The order landed as Pyongyang steps up pressure, carrying out two ballistic missile launches within six days and again denouncing the drills as preparation for war.