US and South Korea cut drills short after Trump criticism

Foreign Minister Cho Hyun stated on Wednesday that the government was not notified in advance of U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to reduce combined military exercises. He told the National Assembly Committee on Foreign Affairs and Unification that neither his government nor U.S. officials were aware of the content of President Trump's message on his Truth Social platform.

Cho emphasized that they were not given any prior notification about the exercise. In relation to the Ulchi Freedom Shield, a joint military drill between South Korea and the United States, Cho indicated that Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-baek was reportedly engaged in close consultations with U.S. counterparts. Cho clarified that since the defense minister was involved in the discussions, it did not constitute a unilateral notification.

He also addressed concerns that the reduced exercise could impact the planned transfer of wartime operational control, asserting that Washington should not be able to use the reduction as an excuse to further delay the transfer since the drills are being scaled back at the U.S. request. Concerning the prospect of a summit in the fall between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, Cho mentioned the possibility of such a meeting.