Seoul: U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Sunday that he has directed the Pentagon chief to "substantially" reduce joint military exercises with South Korea. Trump cited the exercises as "costly" and described them as sending a "totally inappropriate and hostile" message to North Korea. According to Yonhap News Agency, Trump's declaration came via a social media post, coinciding with the upcoming annual Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise between Seoul and Washington. North Korea has frequently criticized these exercises as war rehearsals. Trump highlighted his "very good relationship" with Kim Jong Un, North Korea's leader, expressing dissatisfaction with the United States' participation in these joint military activities with South Korea. Trump elaborated in his post on Truth Social, emphasizing that the exercises are financially burdensome, with the United States bearing much of the cost. He also noted that the exercises send a hostile signal to North Korea, a nation he claims has been "unthreatening and respectful" during his presidency. Due to the timing, Trump stated that he instructed Secretary of War Pete Hegseth to substantially reduce the exercises. This directive marks the first time in Trump's second term that he has ordered a reduction in military drills with South Korea. During his first term, several joint exercises were suspended or scaled down, as Trump labeled them "provocative, inappropriate, and expensive." The order comes amid heightened tensions due to recent missile launches by Pyongyang. The reduction in military drills is seen as a possible conciliatory gesture towards North Korea, with the White House maintaining that Trump is open to dialogue with Pyongyang "without any preconditions." However, it remains unclear if North Korea will engage in talks with Washington, given its growing economic, diplomatic, and military ties with Moscow and efforts to strengthen relations with Beijing. Trump further fueled speculation about his intentions to revive personal diplomacy with Kim Jong Un b y posting a photo from their 2019 meeting at the inter-Korean border village of Panmunjom. This follows a June post on Truth Social featuring a photo from their first meeting in Singapore in 2018. Trump and Kim met in person three times during Trump's first term. In the same social media post on Sunday, Trump mentioned asking South Korean President Lee Jae Myung about joining efforts to denuclearize Iran, to which he reportedly received a "No thanks" response, without providing further details.