US-South Korea military drills cut short on Trump directive

US-South Korea joint military drills cut short following Trump directive

Seoul, August 21

The annual Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS) exercise, typically an 11-day event focused on command-post simulations and live field manoeuvres for Korean Peninsula contingencies, was halved to five days.

President Trump cited high financial costs, his personal relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, and concerns over sending an "inappropriate and hostile" message to Pyongyang as key reasons for scaling back the operations.

The roll-back in the exercise is being widely seen as a conciliatory gesture by Trump towards North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

Citing an official from the Joint Chiefs of Staff, it further mentioned that the live drills have been scaled down from 14 to seven, which will run through next Friday as originally scheduled. The remaining seven exercises that have been removed from the lineup will be rescheduled through consultations with Washington.

"The seven drills will proceed as planned and be wrapped up by the 28th, since the duration of each training varies by exercise," the JCS official said.

"As for the adjusted drills, we will work closely together with Washington to devise measures so that they will be carried out in a combat-realistic manner," he added.

Yonhap reported that counterattack-oriented drills, which are typically held during the second week of the UFS, were cancelled after the exercise was cut in half, leaving this year's drills focused mainly on defensive operations.

The allies also reportedly held discussions earlier on whether to hold live drills separately or have South Korea conduct them alone, with some field maneuvers potentially postponed.

Meanwhile, North Korea has shrugged off the reduction of the drills, stating that it has no interest in the decision and that the move does not change the aggressive nature of the exercise.

— ANI