New Facts: Cho Hyun says Seoul blindsided by US drill cuts
South Korea’s foreign minister said Seoul learned of the U.S. decision to scale back joint drills only after President Trump posted it on Truth Social. He added that neither his government nor U.S. officials had advance notice. “We were not notified in advance.”
The Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise had already begun Monday. It was shortened by six days, now set to end Friday instead of Aug. 27. The change followed Trump’s directive to “substantially reduce” combined training.
Cho Hyun said Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back had been in close consultations with U.S. counterparts and that the move did not amount to a unilateral notification. He also said the reduction should not be used to delay the planned transfer of wartime operational control.
Synthesized from 14 sources
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AI-synthesized from multiple reported sources
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