South Korea shortens war games with US, citing Washington request


US soldiers from the 2nd Infantry Division participate in the joint Freedom Shield (FS) exercise with South Korean soldiers in Paju, South Korea, 16 March 2023.

South Korea’s annual joint military drills with the United States will now run six days shorter than originally planned, as the defence ministry announced today after a proposal from Washington.


The Ulchi‑Freedom Shield exercise, slated to end on 27 August, will instead finish on 21 August. The field training element is also slated to be “partially reduced in scale.”


The change follows President Donald Trump’s recent statements that the drills are “costly” and “hostile,” and that they interfere with a hoped‑for denuclearisation of Iran. Trump has also floated a meeting with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un, a stance that has surprised South Korean officials, who said they had not been informed of the president’s plans.


In a joint press conference last week, U.S. and South Korean military leaders had outlined the 2026 drill as having a similar size to previous years, with about 18,000 South Korean troops and 28,500 U.S. personnel in the country. Following the announcement, North Korean foreign ministry condemned the exercise as “a rehearsal for an aggressive war.”


The reduction reflects broader tensions in the region and raises questions about the role of deterrence and cooperation in the face of North Korean activity and wider regional security concerns.