South Korea has announced that its annual joint military exercise with the United States, Ulchi Freedom Shield, will end six days earlier than originally planned, following a request from Washington.
The exercise will now conclude on 21 August, instead of 27 August.Scale of Exercise Also Reduced South Korea’s Defence Ministry said the “period and scale” of the 2026 drills had been adjusted following a proposal from the US. The field-training component will also be partially reduced, although Seoul said the exact details are still being discussed. The announcement comes after US President Donald Trump said he wanted to reduce military exercises with South Korea, pointing to his reportedly improved relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun told lawmakers that officials in both Seoul and Washington had not known in advance about Trump’s plans. Trump Links Decision to IranTrump has criticised the exercises as expensive and described them as sending an inappropriate and hostile signal. He has also linked his position to South Korea’s refusal to assist the US with its military operation in Iran.
Trump said the US has about 39,000 troops in South Korea to help protect the country from North Korea and questioned why Seoul would not assist Washington with what he described as an easy operation in Iran. Possible Trump-Kim Meeting The reduction in the exercises comes amid reports that Trump is pushing for another meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. According to the Wall Street Journal, Trump has privately discussed meeting Kim during a possible Asia trip, potentially in November when the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit is expected to take place in China.
Trump and Kim have previously held high-level meetings as part of efforts to address North Korea’s nuclear programme. About 18,000 South Korean Troops Involved US and South Korean military officials had initially said the 2026 exercise would be similar in scale to previous years, with around 18,000 South Korean troops participating.
The US has approximately 28,500 military personnel stationed in South Korea.The drills are designed to strengthen the allies’ ability to respond to threats from North Korea.North Korea has repeatedly condemned the exercises, describing them as preparations for an attack. Its Foreign Ministry most recently called the drills “a rehearsal for an aggressive war.”
US officials have also highlighted North Korea’s deployment of troops to support Russia’s war in Ukraine, saying their training takes that evolving threat into account.
