Trump orders reduction of US South Korea military exercises

US President Donald Trump ordered the Pentagon on Monday to cut back joint military exercises with South Korea that were due to start the same day. The drills, called Ulchi Freedom Shield, were planned to run for 11 days and involve 18,000 South Korean soldiers. Trump said the exercises send a "hostile" signal to North Korea, and he pointed to his good relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. He said it was too late to cancel the drills completely, so he told Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth to reduce them substantially. South Korea's Defence Ministry said the exercises would go ahead as planned. One source also said Trump was unhappy because South Korea had refused to support US efforts to stop Iran from developing nuclear weapons.