US-South Korea to cut duration and scope of military drills after Trump order
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- Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise has been cut to five days from the original 11, now running Aug 17-21 instead of through Aug 27, with the second phase of counter-attack operations cancelled at the US's suggestion.
- Trump's Aug 16 order directed a "substantial reduction" in US participation, citing his "very good relationship" with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as the rationale.
- Pentagon and South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said some combined field manoeuvre training would be scaled back, with some events cancelled or converted to simulations, while preserving essential readiness and US training objectives.
- North Korea's KCNA denounced the drills on Aug 19 as military threats from "warmongers," though the commentary did not mention Trump, his order, or the plans to reduce the exercise.
- South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said at an Aug 19 parliamentary hearing that neither South Korean nor US officials had been aware of Trump's order in advance.
- Trump has pushed aides to arrange an in-person meeting with Kim as soon as this autumn, potentially during a November APEC trip to Shenzhen, China, the Wall Street Journal reported citing US officials.
- Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is visiting South Korea on Aug 19-20 for talks expected to cover Korean Peninsula developments, adding Beijing as a concurrent diplomatic actor around the drills.
Why it matters: Trump's unilateral order to shrink the exercise caught Seoul off guard, per Foreign Minister Cho, and leaves the second phase of counter-attack operations unexercised this cycle. North Korea's KCNA statement did not acknowledge the reduction, leaving open whether Pyongyang will reciprocate or simply pocket the concession while Trump pursues a potential autumn meeting with Kim.
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