The US has cancelled a joint amphibious landing exercise with South Korea scheduled for next month, Seoul’s Marine Corps announced on Monday
Washington cited limitations on the availability of American forces resulting from the war in Iran. The US Marine Corps officially informed South Korean officials in June that availability of troops would be restricted for the division-level exercise, known as Ssangyong
The two allies remained in talks about the eventual resumption of the military drills, a South Korean Marine Corps spokesperson said. He did not elaborate on specific steps being considered to address lost training opportunities or avoid future cancellations
US Forces Korea did not immediately reply to a request for comment
The cancellation followed an unexpected directive from US president Donald Trump to scale down a separate annual joint exercise that concluded last Friday, several days ahead of schedule, citing costs alongside Seoul’s unwillingness to take part in the war in Iran
Mr Trump said on his Truth Social platform that the Ulchi Freedom Shield drills conveyed “a signal that was totally inappropriate and hostile, to a country that, as long as Donald J Trump has been president, has been unthreatening and respectful”. He was referring to North Korea
However, not long after Mr Trump curtailed the drills, Pyongyang launched 10 short-range ballistic missiles and issued a formal statement condemning the annual exercise. North Korea has routinely denounced such joint drills as rehearsals for an invasion
