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US cuts short joint South Korea military drills amid nuclear talks
The Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise, originally set to run until Aug. 27, will end on Friday after Washington ordered the Pentagon to substantially reduce the drills.
South Korea’s plans to regain wartime control of its military have come under fresh pressure after the United States abruptly cut short a major joint exercise with Seoul, ending a simulated theater-level drill earlier than scheduled. The change affects the Ulchi Freedom Shield, or UFS, exercise that began on Monday.
According to SCMP Economy, the US decision scraps a planned second phase that was to include a simulated counteroffensive against North Korea, including encirclement of Pyongyang. Defence analysts cited by the outlet warned that scaling back UFS could weaken allied deterrence at a sensitive moment, even as Seoul seeks greater self-reliance for security management on the Korean peninsula.
The outlet said US President Donald Trump ordered the Pentagon on Monday to substantially reduce the “costly” drills, calling them a hostile signal to North Korea while pointing to his relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. It also noted the exercise will now end on Friday, marking the first time a theatre-level US-South Korea exercise has been cut short or scaled back while already under way.