South Korea and the United States will end their annual Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises on Friday, cutting the drills short by nearly a week after President Donald Trump ordered a substantial reduction in U.S. participation. The maneuvers, which began Monday, were originally scheduled to run through August 27.
Trump directed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to scale back the exercises, citing their cost and arguing they send a hostile signal to North Korea. The allies will complete the first phase focused on defensive readiness while the second phase involving counter-attack scenarios will be cancelled or postponed. A Pentagon representative said the adjustments preserve basic combat readiness objectives. South Korean President Lee Jae-myung stated the exercises do not demonstrate any intention to attack North Korea.
North Korea's state news agency KCNA condemned the drills on Wednesday, calling the allies "warmongers" and vowing to exercise its right to self-defense, without acknowledging Trump's order to reduce them.