US President Donald Trump says the United States will “substantially reduce” joint military exercises with South Korea, pointing to his close relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and taking a swipe at Seoul for refusing to join US efforts against Iran.

In a Truth Social post on Sunday, Mr Trump said it was “too late to cancel” the annual exercises, which are due to begin on Monday, but argued they were expensive and unnecessarily provocative.

“These exercises are not only costly, with much of these costs paid for by the United States of America (as usual!), but send a signal that is totally inappropriate and hostile,” Trump posted.

He also linked the decision to South Korea’s response to the conflict involving Iran, writing: “While somewhat unrelated (?), I recently asked the President of South Korea if they would like to join us in the Denuclearization of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and they said, ‘No thanks!’”

Neither Seoul nor Pyongyang has publicly responded to Mr Trump’s announcement.

The decision comes just days after South Korea, the US and Japan detected North Korea’s second missile test in a matter of days. Pyongyang has continued to expand its nuclear and ballistic missile programs, with some of its missile activity prohibited under United Nations sanctions.

US and South Korean military leaders last week announced the 11-day Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises, saying they would be similar in scale to previous years and involve about 18,000 South Korean troops. Around 28,500 American military personnel are currently stationed in South Korea.

The growing threat posed by North Korea was also raised at the announcement, including Pyongyang’s deployment of troops to support Russia’s war against Ukraine.

US military spokesperson Ryan Donald said “our training accounts for that threat”, referring to North Korean soldiers returning from the battlefield.

North Korea’s foreign ministry on Friday condemned the exercises as “a rehearsal for an aggressive war”.

Mr Trump’s decision marks another shift in Washington’s approach to the Korean Peninsula as he seeks to revive his relationship with Kim. Pyongyang has accelerated its nuclear and missile development since the collapse of the pair’s high-profile diplomacy in 2019 during Mr Trump’s first term.

Mr Trump became the first sitting US president to step inside North Korea during a historic visit seven years ago.

His criticism of South Korea also appears to reflect broader frustration with US allies that have been reluctant to become directly involved in hostilities with Iran. Mr Trump has previously expressed displeasure with Japan, France and the UK over their hesitance to contribute.

It is not the first time Mr Trump has wound back military exercises with South Korea. He suspended the drills in 2018 during denuclearisation negotiations with Kim, while exercises were again scaled back in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The latest move also comes after South Korea’s president last week proposed talks with North Korea aimed at formally ending the Korean War, which technically remains active after fighting ended with an armistice in 1953.

- With AP