South Korea and US reduce military drills following Trump’s directive

South Korea and the United States have reduced the duration of their joint military drills, with the Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise now shortened from 11 days to 5, ending on August 21. This decision, influenced by US President Trump’s order for a “substantial reduction,” includes scaling back field training and possibly canceling planned counterattack operations. South Korean officials were unaware of the changes in advance, which were linked to Trump’s diplomatic stance towards North Korea and pressure on Seoul regarding involvement in the conflict with Iran.

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