The United States has cancelled a joint amphibious landing exercise with South Korea scheduled for September, with the Republic of Korea Marine Corps announcing that Washington cited troop constraints caused by the war in Iran.
The US Marine Corps had notified Seoul in June that its contribution to the division-level Ssangyong drill would be limited, before the exercise was scrapped entirely. The cancellation follows a separate decision by President Donald Trump to curtail the annual Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises, with Trump citing costs and Seoul's refusal to participate in the Iran conflict. South Korea's military confirmed the drills ended on August 21, six days earlier than originally planned.
The pullback in joint military activity comes as North Korea launched 10 short-range ballistic missiles from the Pyongyang area last week and issued a formal statement condemning the annual exercises.