United States Cancels Joint Amphibious Drills with South Korea Citing Iran War
8 sources across 7 countries · 1 of them is linked to a state
Who reported this
- Der Spiegel
- Frankfurter Allgemeine
- La Tercera
- South China Morning Post
- The Jakarta Post
- Al Jazeera
- Reuters
- Al-Monitor
What the colours mean
- Left
- Centre-left
- Centre
- Centre-right
- Right
- A hatched block means the outlet is affiliated with, or controlled by, a state.
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Political lean is comparable inside one country and not across them, which is why the bar groups by country first. Publicly funded broadcasters are not marked as state-linked.
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The United States has cancelled a large joint amphibious landing exercise with South Korea scheduled for next month. A spokesperson for the South Korean Marine Corps stated on Monday that the US Marine Corps formally notified Seoul in June that force availability for the division level exercise, known as Ssangyong, would be constrained due to the situation in the Middle East and the war in Iran. The Ssangyong drills typically involve around 10,000 marines and focus on combined operations including warships, aircraft, and ground forces rehearsing landings. South Korea and the US remain in consultations regarding the resumption of the drills.
This cancellation follows a separate order from US President Donald Trump to scale back the annual Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises, reducing them from 11 days to five. President Trump cited the high cost of the maneuvers and the refusal of the South Korean government to participate in the war against Iran as reasons for the reduction. He also stated on Truth Social that the Ulchi Freedom Shield drills sent an inappropriate and hostile signal to North Korea, describing the country as unthreatening and respectful during his presidency.
Despite the reduction in military exercises, North Korea fired ten short range ballistic missiles last week and issued a statement denouncing the drills as rehearsals for invasion. In response to the US absence from the Ssangyong maneuvers, South Korean forces are planning an independent division level amphibious landing exercise for late September to maintain deterrence and readiness on the peninsula.
How each side framed it
- Centre-left
- These outlets emphasized the strategic signal to North Korea and the tension regarding Seoul's refusal to join the Iran war.
- Centre
- These outlets focused primarily on the official notifications and the logistical constraints caused by the conflict in Iran.
- Centre-right
- These outlets highlighted the shift in US military priorities toward the Middle East and the potential for South Korea to be deprioritized when US interests conflict.
Sources
- Centre-left Al Jazeera: South Korea says US cancelled upcoming joint marine exercises over Iran war
- Centre Al-Monitor: US cancels joint marine drills with South Korea over Iran war-related force constraints
- Centre-left Der Spiegel: South Korea: USA cancel amphibious military exercise because of Iran war
- Centre-right Frankfurter Allgemeine: Because of Iran war: USA cancel major maneuvers with South Korea
- Centre-right La Tercera: United States cancels its participation in military maneuvers with the South Korean Navy planned for September
- Centre Reuters: US cancels joint marine drills with South Korea over Iran war-related force constraints - Reuters
- Centre-right South China Morning Post: South Korea says US cut joint marine drill over Iran war constraints
- Centre-left The Jakarta Post: US cancels drills with South Korea over Iran war-related constraints
100% of the statements in this article were traced back to the source articles listed above.