US-South Korea Drills to End Early After Trump Order

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff confirmed Wednesday that ongoing joint military drills with U.S. forces will end early, following President Donald Trump's announcement that he had ordered the Pentagon to "substantially reduce" the exercises.

The annual Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise began Monday and was originally scheduled to run longer, but will now conclude Aug. 21, six days ahead of schedule. In a statement, the Joint Chiefs of Staff said that in response to a U.S. proposal, "the allies agreed to adjust parts of the exercise, including its duration and scale." The two sides also agreed to scale back some combined field training, with details still under discussion.

"Going forward, South Korea and the United States will discuss and implement various measures to achieve the objectives of the UFS exercise and maintain a strong combined defense posture," the statement said.

Trump ordered the reduction citing his "very good" relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. On Sunday, he called the exercise "inappropriate and hostile" toward North Korea, which he said has been "unthreatening and respectful" toward the U.S. during his presidency.

"Based on my very good relationship with Kim Jong Un, of North Korea, I am not happy with the fact that the United States has, long ago, agreed to participate in Joint Military Exercises with South Korea," Trump wrote on his social media platform. "Therefore, and based on the fact that it is too late to cancel, I have instructed Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, to substantially reduce the Joint Military Exercises!"

North Korea this week described Ulchi Freedom Shield as an "open threat," and Pyongyang has long framed the U.S.-South Korea military cooperation as destabilizing to the Korean Peninsula.

South Korea hosts roughly 28,500 U.S. troops, a presence dating to the Korean War of 1950-53, which never officially ended. North Korea tested its first nuclear weapon in 2006 and has since expanded its atomic arsenal and ballistic missile program despite international sanctions. The U.S. military presence in South Korea has also become a point of leverage in the broader strategic rivalry between Washington and Beijing.