US President Donald Trump made the surprise announcement he would halt the Ulchi Freedom Guardian combined exercises, held every August, after this Tuesday’s nuclear talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
"This issue is being explored at the request of the [South Korean] president," the South’s Defense Ministry said in a statement. "A decision can be expected in July."
The US move to call off the drills was discussed in a Thursday phone call between US Secretary of Defense James Mattis and South Korea’s National Defense Minister Song Young-moo, the Pentagon said, adding Mattis assured his counterpart of their nations' "ironclad" alliance.