The annual military exercises held by South Korea and the United States will conclude roughly a week ahead of schedule after President Donald Trump directed the Pentagon to scale back what he called “inappropriate and hostile” drills.
Mr Trump said on Sunday that he had instructed the Pentagon to reduce the Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises, just one day before they began. He pointed to his “good relationship” with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
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North Korea’s state media condemned the exercises as “the most immediate and open threat”, although it made no reference to Mr Trump’s directive.
Several hours later, South Korea’s military confirmed that the drills would finish on Friday, rather than on 27 August, as initially scheduled.
The change came “at the suggestion of the US side”, it said.
The Pentagon described the revised exercises as “substantially reduced”, but said they would “preserve essential readiness” and cause “no degradation to US training objectives”.
The annual manoeuvres are intended to prepare the allies for a potential North Korean attack.
They were expected to unfold in two stages. The first, centred on defending against possible threats from North Korea, was scheduled to continue until Friday. The second, involving a counteroffensive, was due to run from 24 August to 27 August.
The second phase is now understood to have been cancelled.
A South Korean military official described the decision as “unusual”.
North Korea, which possesses nuclear weapons, has repeatedly denounced the exercises as rehearsals for an invasion.
In commentary published by the state-run Korean Central News Agency, the drills were described as posing “the most immediate and open threat” to North Korea and “regional security”.
Kim Jong-un pictured with Donald Trump in 2019
The commentary did not refer to Mr Trump’s order or to his stated interest in reviving discussions with Mr Kim, with whom he has suggested he remains in contact.
Hong Min, a senior researcher at the Korea Institute for National Unification, said the omission appeared deliberate.
North Korea was “sticking to general principles as if completely unaware of” Mr Trump’s remarks, he said.
“Showing awareness could suggest a degree of mutual understanding,” Mr Hong said, while pretending not to have noticed the comments indicated that the issue might become an important bargaining chip in future negotiations with Mr Trump.
‘Much safer’
In his initial post on Truth Social, Mr Trump characterised the exercises as unfriendly towards a country that had treated him with respect.
South Korea’s presidential office said yesterday that the drills did not signal “any intention to attack North Korea or escalate tensions on the Korean peninsula”.
Mr Trump has maintained that his relationship with Mr Kim is making the situation “much safer”.
Asked on Monday whether Mr Kim had replied to his requests for a conversation, Mr Trump said: “Yeah, he has.”
He described the exchanges as “very positive”, but offered no additional details.
“There has been persistent speculation that Washington could seek renewed talks with Pyongyang ahead of the November US midterm elections,” said Yang Moo-jin, former president of the University of North Korean Studies.
“For Trump, a meeting with… Kim Jong-un could offer a chance to secure a foreign-policy legacy.”
The Wall Street Journal reported yesterday, citing unnamed US officials, that Mr Trump was urging aides to arrange a meeting with Mr Kim as early as this autumn.
“Reducing exercises could have a positive impact on the possibility of US-North Korea dialogue,” said Park Won-gon, a professor at Ewha Womans University.
“The suspension of joint exercises has always been a prerequisite for North Korea to engage in dialogue with the US,” he added.
Mr Trump and Mr Kim held three meetings during his first term in the White House, but the two have not spoken in person during his second term.
The US has about 28,500 troops stationed in South Korea to support the country’s defence, a deployment rooted in the 1950-53 Korean War, which ended in an armistice rather than a peace treaty.
Mr Trump has repeatedly questioned long-established US alliances, raising doubts about Washington’s security commitments in East Asia and unsettling regional partners.
