(LEAD) USFK commander visits defense ministry after Trump's order to reduce joint exercise with S. Korea

On August 18, USFK Commander Gen. Xavier Brunson visited the South Korean Defense Ministry to discuss a recent order from President Donald Trump to reduce joint military exercises with South Korea. The visit followed the start of the Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise on Monday, which is set to run for 11 days until August 27. The exercise is primarily designed to prepare for contingencies against North Korea.

Gen. Brunson did not provide a clear explanation for his visit when approached by reporters, merely stating that he came to meet with Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back. The call from President Trump coincided with the beginning of the Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise, a joint military drill that typically simulates scenarios for contingencies against North Korea.

President Trump cited cost concerns and his relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un as reasons for scaling down the exercise. The U.S. Department of War is actively implementing the directive, according to a Pentagon official who updated the statement on Monday, contrasting it with an earlier response that there were no changes to the position.

Although Seoul and Washington have not announced any modifications to the ongoing or future exercises, evidence of a possible downsizing of the current drills has emerged, such as the transfer of the Combined Forces Command (CFC) post from a wartime bunker in Seongnam to Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, the main U.S. base south of the capital.

The shift in the command post suggests a potential adjustment in the scope of the combined exercise.