US-South Korea military drills expected to be halved as Trump pushes for Kim Jong Un meeting

The US and South Korea will halve the duration of their annual Ulchi Freedom Shield military exercise to five days from 11, following an order by President Donald Trump to substantially reduce US participation. The second phase of the exercise is being canceled. North Korea denounced the drills as 'warmongering'. Trump is pushing for an in-person meeting with Kim Jong Un as soon as autumn, possibly during a November trip to Asia for the APEC summit in Shenzhen.

The United States and South Korea will cut the duration of their annual Ulchi Freedom Shield joint military exercise from 11 days to five days, running from August 17 to August 21, and scale back some field training. The decision follows an order by US President Donald Trump to substantially reduce US participation, citing his 'very good relationship' with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. South Korean Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back said the allies were moving to cancel the second phase of the exercise, which had been expected to involve counterattack operations. A US Department of Defense official said the department had substantially reduced the exercise and associated live-training events, with some canceled or converted to simulations, while preserving essential readiness and training objectives. North Korea again denounced the drills on Wednesday, with a KCNA commentary calling the United States and South Korea 'warmongers'. Trump has also pushed aides to arrange an in-person meeting with Kim as soon as this autumn, possibly during a November trip to Asia for the APEC summit in Shenzhen, China. South Korea's Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said neither South Korean nor US officials had been aware in advance of Trump's order. South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said the exercises were defensive. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is visiting South Korea for talks expected to cover Korean Peninsula developments.