US, South Korea cut drills short after Trump criticism
The United States and South Korea have decided to shorten their annual military exercises following criticism from President Donald Trump. The decision aims to maintain diplomatic relations with North Korea, which views the drills as a threat.
Why it matters
The scaling back of military readiness exercises highlights the tension between maintaining defense capabilities and pursuing diplomatic engagement with North Korea.
Annual military exercises between South Korea and the United States will end around a week earlier than planned, both countries said, after President Donald Trump ordered the "inappropriate and hostile" drills scaled back.
Mr Trump said on Sunday that he had told the Pentagon to curtail the annual Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises - a day before they started - citing his "good relationship" with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
Pyongyang's state media criticised the drills as a "most immediate and open threat", without mentioning Mr Trump's order.
Hours later, Seoul's military said the drills would wrap up on Friday, and not on 27 August as originally planned.
"We have decided to adjust the UFS exercise period to run from the 17th to the 21st," South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement.
The decision was made "at the suggestion of the US side", it added.
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