{"id":2646132,"date":"2026-08-17T15:58:01","date_gmt":"2026-08-17T19:58:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-gutted-south-korea-military-drills-due-to-lack-of-help-against-iran\/"},"modified":"2026-08-17T16:03:47","modified_gmt":"2026-08-17T20:03:47","slug":"trump-gutted-south-korea-military-drills-due-to-lack-of-help-against-iran","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-gutted-south-korea-military-drills-due-to-lack-of-help-against-iran\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump gutted South Korea military drills due to lack of help against Iran"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">26<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ftrump-gutted-south-korea-military-drills-due-to-lack-of-help-against-iran%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2646132&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>President Donald Trump announced that he is reducing military drills wiht South Korea, citing Seoul\u2019s refusal to assist in operations against Iran and criticizing the costliness and hostility of the annual joint exercises.He stated that South Korea had historically paid close to $3 billion annually for protection, but this was waived under President Joe Biden. Trump highlighted a recent call with South Korea\u2019s president, noting the latter\u2019s reluctance to help with Iran-related military actions despite the U.S. stationing 39,000 troops there to defend against North Korea. He connected this decision to improve relations with North Korea, calling Kim Jong Un\u2019s regime \u201crespectful\u201d and criticizing the drills as unnecessary.<\/p>\n<p>Trump\u2019s approach reflects a broader trend of tension with allies, having previously taken punitive measures against countries that did not support his policies, including threats to withdraw from NATO. Simultaneously occurring, North Korea remains geopolitically active, providing support to Russia in the Ukraine conflict and increasing its military capabilities, including manufacturing drones and supporting Russian troops. The Biden management considers north Korea insufficiently prepared for the use of tactical nuclear weapons against South Korea. Despite Trump\u2019s claims of a amiable relationship and mutual respect with Kim Jong Un, efforts at denuclearization and diplomatic talks have stalled as thier 2018-2019 summits.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\">Donald Trump<\/a> says his decision to scale back military drills with <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/defense\/4689329\/south-korea-friendly-relationship-trump-kim\/\">South Korea<\/a> is due to the Asian nation\u2019s refusal to get involved in <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/iran\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"100\">Iran<\/a>, while the dictator of North Korea shows the White House \u201cgreat respect.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Trump, speaking with reporters in the Oval Office on Monday, said that the annual joint exercises with South Korea were slashed because Seoul stopped \u201cpaying for their protection\u201d and said \u201cno thanks\u201d to participating in <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/4673916\/iran-economic-loss-operation-epic-fury\/\">Operation Epic Fury<\/a>.<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4690075\/trump-gutted-south-korea-drills-lack-help-iran\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Trump gutted South Korea military drills due to lack of help against Iran<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/defense\/4689497\/pentagon-contract-raytheon-tomahawk-missile\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Pentagon announces $22.9 billion contract with Raytheon for Tomahawk missiles<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/defense\/4689329\/south-korea-friendly-relationship-trump-kim\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>South Korea praises \u2018friendly relationship\u2019 between Trump and Kim Jong Un after US scales back joint training<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cSouth Korea has been protected by us for many, many years, and during my first term, they agreed to pay close to $3 billion a year for protection\u2026 at my request,\u201d Trump told the reporters.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-15\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-1\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He added that Seoul officials \u201cweren\u2019t happy about it, but they agreed\u201d before those fees were waived under former President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/joe-biden\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"471\">Joe Biden<\/a>.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">President Donald Trump \u2248Lee Jae Myung walk along an honor guard during a welcome ceremony at the Gyeongju National Museum in Gyeongju, South Korea, Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025. (AP Photo\/Mark Schiefelbein)<\/p>\n<p>&#8221; data-large-file=&#8221;https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/2026\/08\/localimages\/AP25302227811565.jpg?w=696&#8243; &#8220;https:><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">President Donald Trump gestures as he and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung walk along an honor guard during a welcome ceremony at the Gyeongju National Museum in Gyeongju, South Korea, Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025. (AP Photo\/Mark Schiefelbein)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhen I called recently, the president of South Korea \u2014 who I like, I think he\u2019s very nice actually \u2014 but I called him and said, \u2018Would you like to give us a little hand?\u2019 He said \u2018no, thanks,&#8217;\u201d Trump recalled. \u201cAnd I said, wait, we have 39,000 soldiers over there \u2014 guarding you from <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/kim-jong-un\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"1029\">Kim Jong Un<\/a>, your next-door neighbor \u2014 and you\u2019re not gonna help us on a very easy military operation in Iran? That\u2019s strange.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In a <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/truthsocial.com\/@realDonaldTrump\/posts\/117107215379637520\">Truth Social post <\/a>on Sunday, Trump announced that the U.S. would dramatically scale back joint exercises with South Korea, ostensibly as a token of friendship to Kim. He praised North Korea as \u201cunthreatening and respectful\u201d to the United States under his administration and called the annual military drills with South Korea \u201cnot only costly,\u201d but \u201ctotally inappropriate and hostile.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-16\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-2\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Asked on Monday why the North Korean leader has not responded to his statement of friendship, Trump suggested he already has, though he did not clarify whether he had received such a response in private. No public reply has been observed from Pyongyang or in North Korean state media outlets.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cKim Jon Un has always treated me with great respect,\u201d Trump said in the Oval Office on Monday. \u201cI understand him, he understands me [\u2026] I get along with him very well.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Trump and Kim Jong Un courted each other aggressively during his first administration, culminating in a presidential trip to the Korean border \u2014 where he became the first U.S. leader to set foot in the hermit kingdom. Summits between the two countries were held in 2018 and 2019, but ultimately, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/north-korea\/\">Pyongyang\u2019s<\/a> refusal to denuclearize destroyed the negotiations.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-17\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-3\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He previously cancelled joint exercises with Seoul in 2018 amid the peace negotiations.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">FILE \u2013 North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, right, and U.S. President Donald Trump shake hands at the border village of Panmunjom in the Demilitarized Zone on June 30, 2019. (AP Photo\/Susan Walsh, File)<\/p>\n<p>&#8221; data-large-file=&#8221;https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/2026\/08\/localimages\/AP25037642429741.jpg?w=696&#8243; &#8220;https:><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">FILE \u2013 North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, right, and U.S. President Donald Trump shake hands at the border village of Panmunjom in the Demilitarized Zone on June 30, 2019. (AP Photo\/Susan Walsh, File)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Trump\u2019s treatment of South Korea is not unique, having taken <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4638415\/trump-trade-spain-nato-dues\/\">punitive measures against a slew of allies<\/a> who refused to back his invasion of Iran. He has toyed with reducing troops stationed across Europe following a lack of aid coming from the continent and repeatedly threatened to pull out of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization because the alliance \u201cwasn\u2019t there when we needed them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">North Korea is also experiencing a period of <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/4556961\/north-korea-drop-reunification-goal-constitution\/\">geopolitical relevance<\/a> not seen for decades as it aids the Russian government in the ongoing invasion of Ukraine.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-25\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-4\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/defense\/4566468\/us-insufficiently-prepared-north-korea-tactical-nuke\/\">US IS INSUFICIENTLY PREPARED FOR NORTH KOREA TO USE A TACTICAL NUKE AGAINST SOUTHERN NEIGHBORS<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Soldiers of the Korean People\u2019s Army have for years served as support personnel for the Russian military, initially deployed as guards and patrol staff. Ukraine asserts that there is evidence that the North Korean troops are becoming more actively engaged in the conflict, having captured two of them alive last year.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">North Korea has also become an industrious manufacturer of war drones, augmenting Moscow\u2019s capacity to produce the unmanned aerial vehicles that have defined the conflict.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-5\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-5\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-26\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-5\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Trump cites South Korea&#8217;s Iran aid refusal for drill cuts; North Korea shows &#8220;great respect.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3468,"featured_media":2646133,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP25302227811565.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[69709,34188,3634],"class_list":["post-2646132","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-military-drills","tag-south-korea","tag-trump"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP25302227811565.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2646132","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3468"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2646132"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2646132\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2646135,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2646132\/revisions\/2646135"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2646133"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2646132"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2646132"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2646132"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}