The joint military exercise between South Korea and the United States will end 6 days early.

On August 19, Xinhua News Agency reported from Seoul (reporters Zhang Can and Sun Yiran) that the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff announced on the 19th that the South Korea-U.S. "Ulchi Freedom Shield" joint military exercise, originally scheduled to take place from the 17th to the 27th, will conclude six days early on the 21st, shortening the schedule by more than half.

The South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff stated in a statement on the 19th that, based on a proposal from the U.S. side, both South Korea and the U.S. decided to adjust certain aspects of the exercise, including its timing and scale. The exercise is now scheduled for August 17 to 21. In addition, both sides decided to reduce some joint field maneuver training, with specific adjustments still under negotiation.

According to a report by the Korean News Agency on the 18th, U.S. Forces Korea Commander Xavier Brunson held talks with South Korean Defense Minister An Gye-ber that day. South Korean media reported that the decision to reduce the exercise was finalized during this meeting.

On the 16th, Trump posted on social media that he had requested the U.S. Department of Defense to significantly reduce the scale of the South Korea-U.S. joint military exercises. He stated that these exercises are "extremely costly," with a large portion of the expenses borne by the U.S., and that they send "completely inappropriate and hostile signals" to North Korea.