SEOUL, South Korea — The South Korean and U.S. militaries have agreed to shorten their drills at the U.S.’s request, South Korean officials said Wednesday, days after President Donald Trump ordered cuts to the exercises.
The allies’ summertime Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises began Monday morning for an 11-day run, just after Trump ordered his Pentagon chief to “substantially reduce” them. Trump cited what he said was a good relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Korea’s refusal to join the U.S. war against Iran.
South Korea’s military said in a statement the ongoing drills with the U.S. would end Friday, not Aug. 27 as initially planned. It said the allies also agreed to downsize some joint field training exercises.
Many experts say Trump’s move threatens to hurt combined U.S.-South Korean readiness and eventually weaken their decades-long alliance.
North Korea hasn’t responded to Trump’s overture. But earlier Wednesday, its state news agency slammed the U.S.-South Korean military drills as “frantic” and “extremely dangerous” and vowed to completely frustrate its rivals’ hostilities.
