{
  "id": 1866112,
  "title": "Seoul not notified in advance of Trump's order to scale back drills: FM Cho",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/19/seoul-not-notified-in-advance-of-trumps-order-to-scale-back-drills-fm",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-19T04:52:04.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Korea Times",
    "slug": "the-korea-times",
    "url": "https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/foreignaffairs/20260819/seoul-not-notified-in-advance-of-trumps-order-to-scale-back-drills-fm-cho"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Foreign Minister Cho Hyun revealed on Wednesday that the government was not informed ahead of time about U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to scale back joint military exercises. Cho clarified, \"Neither our government nor U.S. officials knew what President Trump wrote on his Truth Social.\" He stressed, \"We were not notified in advance.\"\n\nCho also commented on the reduction of the ongoing South Korea-U.S. joint military exercise, Ulchi Freedom Shield, stating that Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back was reportedly engaged in \"close consultations\" with U.S. counterparts. He reasoned, \"Since our defense minister was involved in the discussions, I do not think it amounts to a unilateral notification.\"\n\nConcerning whether the scaled-back exercise could impact the planned transfer of wartime operational control, Cho maintained that Washington should not be able to utilize the reduction as a reason to further delay the transfer, as the drills are being reduced at the U.S.' request.\n\nWhen asked about the potential summit between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un this fall, Cho hinted at the possibility, saying, \"Such a meeting is conceivable.\"",
  "summary": "Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said Wednesday the government had not been informed in advance of U.S. President Donald Trump's directive to scale back combined military exercises. \"Neither our government nor U.S. officials knew what President Trump wrote on his Truth Social,\" Cho told the National Assembly Committee on Foreign Affairs and Unification. \"We were not notified in advance,\" he said.…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 9,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "RTE News",
        "title": "US, South Korea cut drills short after Trump criticism",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/19/us-south-korea-cut-drills-short-after-trump-criticism",
        "published": "2026-08-19T03:37:06.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Le Monde English",
        "title": "US and South Korea cut drills short after Trump criticism",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/19/us-and-south-korea-cut-drills-short-after-trump-criticism",
        "published": "2026-08-19T04:04:09.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Yonhap News",
        "title": "Seoul not notified in advance of Trump's order to scale back drills: FM Cho",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/19/seoul-not-notified-in-advance-of-trumps-order-to-scale-back-drills-fm-1868573",
        "published": "2026-08-19T04:34:24.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Korea Times",
        "title": "Trump's Korea gamble: Putting politics ahead of vital alliance",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/19/trumps-korea-gamble-putting-politics-ahead-of-vital-alliance",
        "published": "2026-08-19T04:52:04.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Mainichi",
        "title": "N. Korea media criticizes ongoing US-S. Korea drills after Trump comments",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/19/n-korea-media-criticizes-ongoing-us-s-korea-drills-after-trump",
        "published": "2026-08-19T05:30:09.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Sydney Morning Herald",
        "title": "Pivot from Asia? What Trump’s South Korea ‘shock’ says about US strategy",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/19/pivot-from-asia-what-trumps-south-korea-shock-says-about-us-strategy",
        "published": "2026-08-19T05:30:58.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Age",
        "title": "Pivot from Asia? What Trump’s South Korea ‘shock’ says about US strategy",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/19/pivot-from-asia-what-trumps-south-korea-shock-says-about-us-strategy-1876059",
        "published": "2026-08-19T05:30:58.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Free Malaysia Today",
        "title": "South Korean FM says Trump pressuring Seoul over Iran, investment",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/19/south-korean-fm-says-trump-pressuring-seoul-over-iran-investment",
        "published": "2026-08-19T05:41:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}