S. Korea, US cut joint military drills short amid Trump's call to reduce scale

South Korea's military said on Wednesday that its ongoing joint drills with the United States would conclude on Friday, about a week earlier than originally scheduled.

The Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS) exercise began on Monday and was initially planned to run in two phases. The first phase, from August 17 to 21, focused on defensive operations in response to potential attacks, while the second phase, scheduled for August 23 to 27, was set to center on counter-offensive operations.

South Korean military sources said the two sides decided during emergency consultations on Tuesday to conduct only the first phase of defensive training, after which US forces would leave. Training activities originally planned for the second phase will be replaced with alternative arrangements at a later date.

The significant reduction of the drills came after US President Donald Trump said on social media on Sunday that he had instructed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to "substantially reduce" the scale of joint military exercises with South Korea.

On Tuesday, US Forces Korea Commander Gen. Xavier Brunson abruptly canceled a scheduled public event and met with South Korea's Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back later in the day.

The cutback has raised concerns in South Korea over the progress of the planned transfer of wartime operational control (OPCON) from the US-led command structure back to South Korea.

The UFS exercise has long been regarded as a key platform for assessing South Korea's ability to independently carry out military operations. The cancellation of the counteroffensive training phase could affect the evaluation of South Korea's operational capabilities and the timeline for OPCON transfer.

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said at a Cabinet meeting on Wednesday that the government should complete the OPCON transfer smoothly during his term as planned.

He stressed that South Korea had sufficient conditions to achieve self-reliant national defense and emphasized the need for a comprehensive upgrade of operational capabilities to further strengthen national defense.

In the early 1950s, South Korea handed over command of its military to the US-led "United Nations Command." In 1978, it was then transferred to the South Korea-US Combined Forces Command, which is headed by a US military officer. South Korea retook peacetime operational control of its forces in 1994, but has not yet regained wartime operational control.

After the OPCON transfer, South Korea would take the leading role in commanding combined defense forces during wartime, while the US would shift to a supporting and stabilizing role.