Trump scales back US-South Korea military drills over China concerns, says ex-CIA officer

US President Donald Trump has announced he will scale back US military exercises with South Korea, writing on Truth Social that he is “not happy” with the joint drills and that they send the “wrong signal” to North Korea. He cited his “very good relationship” with Kim Jong-un and asked Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to “substantially reduce” the exercises, which are due to start on Monday. In an interview with Al Jazeera, former CIA officer and US Navy veteran Scott Uehlinger said he was “a little surprised at the timing” but that the move has been developing for almost a year. He said the Iran issue is “just a symptom of a larger problem” — South Korea's “overly friendly” policies towards China, which he says have alarmed other US allies including Japan, the Philippines and Australia. Uehlinger described Trump's move as “a subtle way” of “mildly scolding South Korea” and urging it to reconsider its China policy. Subscribe to our channel: http://bit.ly/AJSubscribe Follow us on X: https://X.com/AJEnglish Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera Check our website: http://www.aljazeera.com/ Check out our Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/aljazeeraenglish/ Download AJE Mobile App: https://aje.news/AJEMobile #UnitedStates #DonaldTrump #SouthKorea #NorthKorea #USSouthKorea #China #USChina #USForeignPolicy #KoreanPeninsula #USSouthKoreaMilitaryDrills #AlJazeeraEnglish