South Korea: military exercises with US conclude

Milano, Aug. 21 (LaPresse) – South Korea and the United States conclude their joint military exercises today, almost a week earlier than planned, after US President Donald Trump ordered a significant reduction. The move, reports South Korean news agency Yonhap, has been widely interpreted as a conciliatory gesture towards North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. The Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS) exercise was reduced from 11 to 5 days following Trump’s directive to scale back exercises that, in his view, could send an “inappropriate and hostile” message to Pyongyang. Trump also cited the cost burden and his good relationship with Kim. The UFS – Yonhap also reports – is one of the two main combined exercises that the allies conduct annually to train for possible conflicts with North Korea and also includes major field maneuvers based on various war scenarios on the Korean Peninsula.