the news now

The world's news, cross-checked among reputable sources.

This is a new development in a story we have covered before · earlier coverage

US and South Korea Scale Back Joint Military Exercises Following Trump Order

evening · · thread: North Korea Condemns NATO Fuel Network Modernization as War Preparation

13 sources across 9 countries · 2 of them are linked to a state

Who reported this

  • The Hankyoreh South Korea · Left · Reader-owned (60,000+ shareholders)
  • Yonhap South Korea · Centre · State-affiliated · Cooperative; statutory national agency with state subsidy
  • The Korea Herald South Korea · Centre-right · Herald Corporation (Yeongpoong Group)
  • Der Spiegel Germany · Centre-left · ~50% staff-owned
  • Deutsche Welle Germany · Centre · Public · German federal public-law corporation
  • CNN United States · Centre-left · Warner Bros. Discovery
  • Al-Monitor United States · Centre · Jamal Daniel
  • Politico Europe Belgium · Centre · Axel Springer SE
  • CNN Brasil Brazil · Centre · Rubens Menin (MRV)
  • Asahi Shimbun Japan · Centre-left · Asahi Shimbun Company (family and employee held)
  • Dawn Pakistan · Centre-left · Pakistan Herald Publications (Haroon family)
  • Al Jazeera Qatar · Centre-left · State-affiliated · Qatari government funded
  • El Pais Spain · Centre-left · Grupo PRISA

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.

Political lean describes where an outlet sits within the politics of its own country. It is never a position on a single global scale.

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.

The owner of each outlet is listed as a matter of record, not as a judgement about the outlet.

South Korea and the United States have announced a substantial reduction in the duration and scope of their annual Ulchi Freedom Shield military exercises. Originally scheduled to run from August 17 to August 27, the drills will now conclude on August 21. The South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff stated that the decision was made at the suggestion of the US side, following an order from President Donald Trump to reduce US participation. The reduction includes the cancellation of the second phase of the exercises, which focused on counteroffensive scenarios, and a downsizing of some joint field training maneuvers. The Pentagon stated that these adjustments preserve essential readiness and will not degrade US training objectives.

President Trump announced the decision on Truth Social, describing the drills as costly and sending a totally inappropriate and hostile signal to North Korea. He cited his very good relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as a reason for the move. Trump also claimed that the decision was linked to South Korea's refusal to assist in US efforts regarding Iran. He alleged that when he asked South Korean President Lee Jae Myung for help with the denuclearization of Iran, the president responded by saying, No thanks.

South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun told the National Assembly that Seoul was not notified in advance of the announcement. While Cho described the gesture as a potential turning point for peace on the Korean Peninsula, he also suggested that the move appeared to be a form of pressure regarding the Iran conflict and unresolved economic issues. Specifically, some reports highlight a pending South Korean pledge to invest 350 billion US dollars in the United States, with 200 billion dollars of that total still under negotiation.

North Korean state media criticized the exercises as an open threat and a violation of sovereignty, though they did not explicitly mention Trump's order to scale them back. Meanwhile, Trump stated in the Oval Office that Kim Jong Un has responded positively to his overtures. Reports from the Wall Street Journal indicate that Trump is pushing aides to arrange a meeting with Kim as early as this autumn, potentially coinciding with the APEC summit in Shenzhen, China.

Different perspectives on the event emerged based on political leanings. Center and center-left outlets focused on the diplomatic tension and the transactional nature of the decision, framing it as a move to pressure an ally or a strategic attempt at rapprochement. Center-right outlets emphasized the potential for the move to serve as a catalyst for peace and dialogue. Left-leaning outlets framed the event as Trump punching an ally and using security leverage to punish South Korea for its lack of cooperation on Iran and investment delays.

How each side framed it

Left
Portrayed the move as an act of aggression or punishment by Trump against a long-term ally to satisfy personal relationships and economic demands.
Centre-left
Framed the event as a transactional move by Trump to pressure South Korea over Iran and investments while seeking a diplomatic win with North Korea.
Centre
Focused on the lack of communication between the US and South Korea and the resulting diplomatic friction.
Centre-right
Highlighted the potential for the reduction in drills to be a turning point for peace on the Korean Peninsula.

Sources

100% of the statements in this article were traced back to the source articles listed above.