South Korea and the United States have reduced the duration and scope of their annual joint military exercises following an order from US President Donald Trump to significantly scale back the drills.
The Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise, which began on August 17, was originally scheduled to last 11 days. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the exercise will now end on August 21, reducing it to five days.
Some combined field training and live-fire exercises have also been reduced, cancelled or replaced with computer simulations. US defence officials said the changes would maintain essential military readiness and training objectives.
The decision followed Trump’s order to reduce the US role in the exercises. Trump cited his relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and also linked the move to South Korea’s decision not to participate in the US-Israel war against Iran.
South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said neither South Korean nor US officials had been informed in advance about Trump’s decision. He suggested the move could be intended to pressure Seoul on several issues, including its position on the Iran conflict.
North Korea has strongly opposed US-South Korea military exercises for years, describing them as preparations for an invasion. Pyongyang again condemned the drills and said it would continue exercising what it called its right to self-defence.
Meanwhile, Trump said Kim Jong Un had responded to his recent outreach, although he did not reveal details of the communication. Reports also say Trump has discussed meeting Kim in person later this year during a possible trip to Asia.
The United States currently has about 28,500 troops stationed in South Korea as part of its defence commitment to the country.
Japan and Australia have expressed concern about North Korea’s nuclear and missile programmes and stressed the importance of continued security cooperation among the United States, South Korea and Japan.
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