SEOUL - South Korea and the United States will shorten their annual joint military exercise, the South Korean military said Wednesday after U.S. President Donald Trump's order to sharply reduce drills conducted by the two countries.
This year's Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise began on Monday and will end on Friday, earlier than the initially scheduled Aug. 27.
"At the proposal of the U.S. side, the two countries have decided to adjust the exercise in part, including its duration and scale," South Korea's Defense Ministry said in a statement, adding that combined field training will also be scaled back.
Trump wrote on social media Sunday he does not like such exercises as they are "not only costly, with much of these costs paid for by the United States of America (as usual!), but send a signal that is totally inappropriate and hostile" to North Korea.
He later said North Korean leader Kim Jong Un had responded to his call for talks.
The ministry also said South Korea and the United States have agreed to discuss and implement a range of measures to achieve the objectives of the UFS exercise and to establish a solid combined defense posture.
