South Korean president jumps to invest in military after Trump cuts joint exercises

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. ©2026 FOX News Network, LLC. All rights reserved. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Market data provided by Factset. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Legal Statement. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by LSEG. Fox News correspondent Lucas Tomlinson reports on President Donald Trump’s plan to scale back joint military exercises with South Korea on ‘The Story.’ South Korean President Lee Jae Myung urged his nation to boost its independent military capabilities Tuesday after President Donald Trump ordered a cut to join U.S.-South Korean military exercises. Lee made the statement during a meeting with his cabinet on Tuesday, a day after the annual joint Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises began. Trump announced on social media this weekend that he ordered War Secretary Pete Hegseth to "substantially reduce" U.S. involvement in the drills. Trump's statement expressed concern that the drills presented an overly hostile tone toward North Korea, whose leader, Kim Jong Un, Trump spoke of with warm words. TRUMP ORDERS MAJOR CUT TO US-SOUTH KOREA DRILLS AS NORTH KOREA RAM