President Donald Trump orders the Pentagon to scale back large-scale US-South Korea military exercises planned to begin Monday, describing them as “inappropriate and hostile.” He says he is “not happy” with the drills and adds that he is acting based on a “very good relationship” with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. Trump also says the exercises are costly and sends the wrong signal to a regime he describes as “unthreatening and respectful.”
Both outlets frame the move as a change in posture toward North Korea, with the stated rationale focused on diplomacy with Kim Jong-un and criticism of the exercise plans. The World report notes that military officials from both South Korea and the US warn the North is learning new battlefield tactics, including from the war in Ukraine. It also says Trump considers it too late to cancel the drills entirely, instead directing Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to “substantially reduce” them.
Alongside the drill decision, both reports include other US political and diplomatic updates, including concerns from Democrats about conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, and separate commentary and legal/political developments. Those additional items are reported but not directly tied to the drill policy change.
