US-South Korea Ulchi Freedom Shield cut short

The annual joint military exercise Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS) between the United States and South Korea, which began on August 17 and was scheduled to run until August 27, has been cut short at the request of US President Donald Trump. The drill will now end on Friday, reducing the exercise period by nearly half, according to Seoul's United States — Joint Chiefs of Staff. Field training exercises, a core component of the drills, will also be reduced, with detailed plans under discussion between the two militaries. The UFS is primarily designed to train for contingencies against North Korea, and the second half of the exercise, based on counterattack scenarios, has reportedly been cancelled. This scaling back mirrors a similar reduction in 2019 during Trump's first term amid nuclear diplomacy with Pyongyang. North Korea, through the North Korea — Korean Central News Agency, has continued to denounce the exercise, vowing to 'completely neutralise the enemy's military threat' and exercise its right to self-defence. South Korean President Lee Jae Myung stated that the drills are defensive in nature and do not reflect any intention to attack North Korea, while also urging faster progress in acquiring nuclear-powered submarines following Trump's decision.