US President scales down joint military exercises with South Korea

US President Donald Trump announced that he had ordered the Department of Defense to scale down the annual military exercises with South Korea, hours before they were set to begin yesterday, citing the “good relationship” between him and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Trump described the annual joint drills, which simulate a North Korean attack on South Korea, as “inappropriate and hostile.” In Seoul, the presidential office confirmed yesterday that it would continue “close coordination” with the United States regarding its “defensive posture,” after the Ministry of National Defense announced that the exercises would proceed as planned.