Military drills between US and South Korea cut short at Washington’s request

(CNN) — The joint military drills between the United States and South Korea have been cut in half at Washington’s request, days after President Donald Trump called for their reduction, citing his close relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

The annual Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS) exercise, which began on Monday, was due to run for 10 days, but will now end on Friday August 21, the militaries of both nations said.

“Based on direction from the President and Secretary of War, the Department has substantially reduced Exercise Ulchi Freedom Shield while continuing training that enhances tactical capability,” a Pentagon official said.

“Associated live-training events have been reduced, with certain events canceled or converted to simulations. These adjustments preserve essential readiness and training objectives,” the official said. “There will be no degradation to US training objectives.”

South Korea’s military said the decision to “partially adjust the exercise period and size” of the UFS came “at the request of the US.”

The revised end date comes after Trump said Sunday that he had asked Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth to reduce the exercises, based on his “very good relationship” with Kim, and saying they sent a “totally inappropriate and hostile” signal to North Korea. He also cited Seoul’s lack of assistance with the Iran war.

South Korea has been a close American ally for over 70 years and the two nations have a mutual defense treaty, primarily designed to protect it from North Korea — a burgeoning nuclear power.

But Trump’s touted personal relationship with North Korea’s Kim –– who has significantly expanded his country’s military capabilities since Trump’s first term in office and is now believed to have dozens of nuclear warheads –– has tested the long-standing partnership.

While Kim himself has not commented on Trump’s call for the drills to be reduced, North Korean state media KCNA called the exercises “the most immediate and open threat” to Pyongyang and regional security in an article published Wednesday, before news broke that the exercises had been shortened. North Korea has long been critical of the annual UFS drills.

Trump lamented the cost of the exercises in his Truth Social post Sunday, and said North Korea has been “unthreatening and respectful” as long as he has been president.

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said he did not view Trump’s comments or order to scale back the exercises as confrontational or hostile.

Seoul “sympathise(s) with President Trump’s determination and effort to create conditions for dialogue to establish peace regime on the Korean Peninsula, even if it means scaling back the recent South Korea-US joint military exercise and field training exercises,” Lee said on X Wednesday.

Lee said he agrees South Korea should boost its defense spending and take responsibility for its own security in the Korean Peninsula. He added South Korea has “stated on various occasions that it will actively participate in the efforts of the international community, including the US, to restore free passage at Strait of Hormuz.”

The US frequently holds joint military drills with South Korea, which hosts the largest US military installation overseas, Camp Humphreys.

The drills this year were designed to adapt to North Korea’s evolving capabilities and would incorporate training to counter drones, GPS disruption and cyberattacks, a spokesperson for US Forces Korea said last week. At least 18,000 South Korean troops were set to take part.

Lee had earlier said the drills were not intended “to heighten tension on the Korean Peninsula,” framing them instead as “a defensive exercise” to keep peace and protect lives.

Seoul’s military chiefs said Wednesday that South Korea and the US would now “discuss and implement various measures to achieve the goals of UFS exercise and establish combined defense posture going forward.”

Trump has repeatedly expressed interest in meeting again with Kim following their last encounter in 2019, when Trump briefly stepped over the military line dividing the two Koreas, making him the first sitting US president to step foot in North Korea.

On Monday, Trump said he and Kim have talked recently but did not provide details on those discussions, telling reporters in the Oval Office, “I understand him. He understands me.”

Trump also dismissed criticism that he is prioritizing the interests of North Korea over long-term allies, saying his approach to Kim is making the world safer.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.

CNN’s Brad Lendon and Alayna Treene contributed reporting.