Trump cuts Seoul exercises in half and pushes for Kim meeting
Amid U.S. President Donald Trump’s efforts to arrange a meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as soon as possible, Washington has reduced the duration of its ongoing military exercises with Seoul from 11 to six days.
The South Korean military announced today that the “Freedom Shield Ulchi” drills, which began on the 17th of this month, will end on Friday instead of August 27, noting that the change in duration came at the “request of the U.S. side.”
This decision represents a significant setback for South Korea, a longstanding ally of the United States. A South Korean military official described the move as “unusual.” South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun stated that Seoul had not been given prior notice of the decision to shorten the exercises, adding, “Neither our government nor U.S. government officials had prior knowledge of what President Trump announced on Truth Social.”
U.S. military command affirmed that these adjustments “maintain the core objectives related to readiness and training, and there will be no reduction in training objectives,” which involve participation alongside 18,000 South Korean soldiers.
This year’s exercises come in light of the experience North Korean forces have gained in modern warfare tactics, particularly through their participation alongside Russia on the Ukrainian front.
Despite the reduction, during which Seoul conducted side exercises “to combat terrorism,” the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) described the drills as “the most direct and overt threats” to Pyongyang and to “regional security,” although it did not mention Trump’s decision to scale back the exercises. It added, “We will exercise our right to self-defense to neutralize military threats from hostile forces through transparent measures.”
Trump has long boasted of his close relationship with Kim Jong Un, whom he met three times during his first term in the White House. The Wall Street Journal reported that U.S. officials said Trump had been pressing his aides to arrange another meeting this autumn.
The newspaper added that Trump discussed in private meetings the possibility of holding direct talks with Kim during his upcoming trip to Asia, which may take place in November to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit hosted by China.
Amid Trump’s efforts to revive the diplomatic track with Kim, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi arrived in Seoul to hold talks with his South Korean counterpart Cho Hyun, before meeting President Yoon Suk Yeol and attending a luncheon with National Security Advisor Woo Sung-lak. The South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that Wang and Cho discussed bilateral relations, the Korean Peninsula issue, and regional affairs.
