Trump cuts US-South Korea military drills citing ‘good relationship with Kim Jong-un’ | First Thing

United States and South Korean forces have commenced joint military exercises as originally scheduled, despite President Donald Trump’s public calls to reduce the scale of the drills. Trump has advocated for scaling back the operations, citing the high financial costs and the potential for the exercises to be perceived as hostile toward North Korea. He has further justified this position by pointing to his positive diplomatic relationship with Kim Jong-un.

The exercises are intended to prepare for a potential attack from Pyongyang. While the drills are proceeding as planned, the administration's push to limit them has drawn criticism from those concerned that such reductions could compromise South Korean national security.