{
  "id": 2995303,
  "title": "South Korea says US cancels joint marine drill over Iran war",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/24/south-korea-says-us-cancels-joint-marine-drill-over-iran-war-2995303",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-24T09:47:49.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Malaysia Today",
    "slug": "free-malaysia-today-freemalays",
    "url": "https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/world/2026/08/24/south-korea-says-us-cancels-joint-marine-drill-over-iran-war"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "South Korea announced on Monday that the United States had canceled a major joint amphibious landing exercise, known as Ssangyong drills, scheduled for the following month. This decision was attributed to limitations on force availability resulting from the ongoing war with Iran. The biennial Ssangyong drills bring together South Korean and US marine forces to practice combined operations, typically involving warships, aircraft, and ground forces conducting amphibious landings.\n\nThe cancellation occurred after US President Donald Trump issued an order last week to reduce the size of the annual Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises, shortening them from 11 days to just five. Trump's decision was based on the high costs of the drills and their perceived negative impact on relations with North Korea, despite his close ties with its leader, Kim Jong Un.\n\nSouth Korean Marine Corps spokesperson Han Seung-jeon informed reporters that the US Marine Corps had formally notified Korean forces in June of their constrained deployment capabilities due to the Middle East situation. Despite ongoing consultations between Seoul and Washington regarding the resumption of the amphibious exercise, the Pentagon has not yet provided a response to inquiries regarding Seoul's announcement.",
  "summary": "The cancellation follows Donald Trump's order last week to scale down the separate annual Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises, cutting the joint drills from 11 days to five.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 10,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "New Straits Times",
        "title": "US cancels joint marine drills with S.Korea over Iran war-related force constraints",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/24/us-cancels-joint-marine-drills-with-s-korea-over-iran-war-related",
        "published": "2026-08-24T06:23:42.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Korea Times",
        "title": "US cancels joint marine drills with South Korea over Iran war-related force constraints",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/24/us-cancels-joint-marine-drills-with-south-korea-over-iran-war-related",
        "published": "2026-08-24T06:27:02.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Al-Monitor",
        "title": "US cancels joint marine drills with South Korea over Iran war-related force constraints",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/24/us-cancels-joint-marine-drills-with-south-korea-over-iran-war-related-2968116",
        "published": "2026-08-24T06:46:34.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Middle East Eye",
        "title": "Iraq calls for joint security council between Saudi Arabia and Iran",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/24/iraq-calls-for-joint-security-council-between-saudi-arabia-and-iran",
        "published": "2026-08-24T06:56:57.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Business Recorder",
        "title": "South African rand holds near multi-month high as Iran sanctions loom",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/24/south-african-rand-holds-near-multi-month-high-as-iran-sanctions-loom",
        "published": "2026-08-24T07:14:54.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Free Malaysia Today",
        "title": "South Korea says US cancels joint marine drill over Iran war",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/24/south-korea-says-us-cancels-joint-marine-drill-over-iran-war-2996071",
        "published": "2026-08-24T09:47:49.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Channel News Asia",
        "title": "South Korea says US cancels joint marine drill over Iran war",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/24/south-korea-says-us-cancels-joint-marine-drill-over-iran-war",
        "published": "2026-08-24T09:49:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Euronews",
        "title": "South Korea says US cancelled joint marine drills over force constraints from Iran war",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/24/south-korea-says-us-cancelled-joint-marine-drills-over-force",
        "published": "2026-08-24T10:02:04.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Al Jazeera",
        "title": "South Korea says US cancelled upcoming joint marine exercises over Iran war",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/24/south-korea-says-us-cancelled-upcoming-joint-marine-exercises-over",
        "published": "2026-08-24T12:28:26.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "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."
}