Trump shortens US-South Korea war games to make room for Kim Jong Un talks
SEOUL, Aug 19 — Annual war games between South Korea and the United States will end around a week earlier than pla...
South Korea and the United States have reduced the duration of their annual Ulchi Freedom Shield war games, scheduled to conclude a week earlier than initially planned, following orders from US President Donald Trump. The decision to shorten the exercises was made "at the suggestion of the US side", according to South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff.
The drills, originally set to run until August 27, will now finish on August 21. The reduced timeline aims to "preserve essential readiness and... (cause) no degradation to US training objectives". The exercises, designed to prepare for a potential North Korean attack, are typically viewed as a "most immediate and open threat" to North Korea by Pyongyang.
Despite Trump's claim of a "good relationship" with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Pyongyang's state media criticized the drills, without referencing Trump's decision. North Korea's state-run Korean Central News Agency characterized the exercises as a significant threat to the region. Analysts suggest that the shortened drills may have a positive impact on the prospects of US-North Korea dialogue.
Written by urgent.news from Malay Mail's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
