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South Korea
This Week in AsiaPolitics

US drill cuts threaten South Korea’s wartime command plans

By cutting Ulchi Freedom Shield short, Washington may have set back Seoul’s bid to reclaim wartime military command delegated decades ago

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South Korean soldiers join in an anti-terror drill as a part of the Ulchi Freedom Shield military exercise between the US and South Korea in Seoul on Wednesday. Photo: AP
Korean activists shout slogans during a protest against joint US-South Korea military drills outside the US embassy in Seoul on Monday. Photo: EPA
US Army vehicles cross a floating bridge during a combined river-crossing drill between South Korea and the United States as a part of the Ulchi Freedom Shield in August last year. Photo: AP
Park Chan-kyong
South Korea’s push to regain wartime control of its military has been thrown into doubt after the United States abruptly cut short a major joint exercise, scrapping plans for a simulated counteroffensive into North Korean territory and encirclement of Pyongyang.
Defence analysts warn scaling back the Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS) exercise could weaken the allies’ deterrence posture at a sensitive moment, even as Seoul seeks greater self-reliance in managing security on the Korean peninsula.
US President Donald Trump ordered the Pentagon on Monday to “substantially reduce” the “costly” drills, describing them as a “totally inappropriate and hostile” signal to North Korea while citing his “very good relationship” with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

The allies had initially planned for the UFS exercise, which began on Monday, to run until August 27. The second phase was reportedly set to include a simulated counteroffensive against North Korea, including the encirclement of its capital.

US soldiers conduct a training exercise on a river in Yeoncheon, near the border between South and North Korea, on Tuesday. Photo: AP
US soldiers conduct a training exercise on a river in Yeoncheon, near the border between South and North Korea, on Tuesday. Photo: AP

But the exercise will now end on Friday – marking the first time a theatre-level US-South Korea exercise has been cut short or scaled back while already under way.

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