Trump Cuts Costly Korea War Games as South Korea Steps Up for Its Own Defense

President Trump ordered the Pentagon to substantially cut back the costly joint military exercises the United States runs with South Korea, and Seoul is responding by moving faster to carry its own weight. The decision, announced Sunday on Truth Social, scales down the annual Ulchi Freedom Shield war games that began Monday. By Tuesday, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung was laying out an accelerated push for independent military command and nuclear-powered submarines.

It is a shift that saves American taxpayers money while pushing a wealthy ally to take more responsibility for its own defense. Seoul insists the alliance is stronger for it.

Trump Puts American Taxpayers First

Trump said he had long been unhappy that the United States agreed to take part in exercises that are costly, with much of the bill paid by Washington, and that send a signal he called totally inappropriate and hostile to a country that has been unthreatening and respectful under his presidency. He pointed to his very good relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

Because it was too late to cancel this year's drills outright, Trump instructed Secretary of War Pete Hegseth to substantially reduce them. The decision also came after South Korea declined to take part in U.S. action against Iran, a snub that did not go unnoticed in Washington.

Trump has a track record here. In 2018, after his first summit with Kim in Singapore, he suspended major exercises, cancelling that year's Ulchi Freedom Guardian. The latest order extends that same America First approach to a new round of diplomacy.

Seoul Accelerates Its Independence Push

Lee Jae Myung used a Tuesday cabinet meeting to double down on a long-held national goal: taking back wartime operational control of South Korean forces from the United States. He said Seoul should proceed without disruption with the planned transfer during his term, which ends in 2030.

"A strong alliance makes the foundation of security stronger, and strengthening our own capabilities increases our value and necessity as an ally," Lee said, describing independent defense and the Washington alliance as mutually reinforcing. He also ordered faster progress on South Korea's nuclear-powered submarine program and on developing officers capable of integrated operations for future conflicts.

What the War Games Were For

Ulchi Freedom Shield is one of two main annual exercises held by the allies, designed to sharpen readiness against North Korean threats. This year's iteration was expected to involve about 18,000 South Korean troops alongside American forces and personnel from 11 of the 18 member states of the United Nations Command.

Wartime command over South Korean forces has rested with an American four-star general leading the Combined Forces Command since the 1953 armistice that ended fighting in the Korean War. Seoul regained peacetime control in 1994, but reclaiming wartime authority has been a goal for more than two decades, delayed under successive governments. The drills were meant to help certify South Korea's readiness to finally take it over.

Kim Responds to Outreach

On Monday, Trump said Kim Jong Un had responded to his outreach, adding to signs that direct diplomacy is reviving. Seoul's presidential office welcomed the development, saying it hopes the relationship leads to meaningful dialogue and progress toward peace on the peninsula.

Lee stressed Tuesday that the exercises are defensive in nature and not intended to attack North Korea or raise tensions, while also warning that South Korea must prepare for a worst-case scenario. U.S. Forces Korea Commander Xavier Brunson visited Seoul's defense ministry the same day to discuss the scaled-back drills. The push for dialogue comes after the North fired two ballistic missiles earlier this month, ahead of the exercises.

What to Watch

The next test is whether Trump and Kim meet again, a scenario some analysts say could lead to further reductions or even a full suspension of exercises. The Pentagon is also reportedly weighing a drawdown of about 4,500 of the 28,500 U.S. troops stationed in South Korea, a move Congress has resisted.

For now, the trajectory is clear: America spends less, Seoul does more, and the alliance endures. How fast South Korea can actually stand up its own command structure, and its submarines, will determine how much of that promise becomes reality.