US, South Korea to cut length, scope of military drills after Trump order

SEOUL, South Korea \u2014 South Korea and the United States will cut short annual joint military drills to five days from 11 and scale back some field training, the allies said on \u200bWednesday, after President Donald Trump ordered a substantial reduction in U.S. participation.The change in the drills comes as Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi visits South Korea on Wednesday and Thursday for regional security talks expected to cover developments on the Korean Peninsula.North Korea's Kim Yo Jong, sister of leader Kim Jong Un, late \u200con Wednesday dismissed the move, saying the nature of the exercises remained provocative and aggressive even if the scale and duration had been reduced, according to a statement published by state media KCNA.The Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise, which began \u2060on Aug. 17, will now run through Aug. 21, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff \u200band a Pentagon official said, instead of the original end date of Aug. 27.South \u2060Korean Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back said the allies were moving to cancel the drills' second phase, media said, adding that it had been expected to involve counterattack operations after an \u200cinitial defensive phase.At the suggestion of the \u200cUnited States, the countries agreed on partial adjustments to the duration and scope of the drills, the joint chiefs said. Some combined field maneuver training \u2060would also be scaled back, although details were still being discussed.A Department of Defense official said the department \u2060had substantially reduced the exercise and associated live-training events, with some canceled or switched to simulations.The changes would preserve essential readiness and training aims, with no degradation to training objectives, the official added.The changes follow Trump's order on Sunday to "substantially reduce" the U.S. role in the drills, citing his "very good relationship" with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. On Monday, Trump added that Kim had responded to his steps, without giving any details.Trump's objectives in the order appeared to be to pressure Seoul over the pace of its promised U.S. investments under a trade deal, shift attention away from challenges in Iran and reopen diplomacy with Pyongyang, one analyst said."Trump \u200cis trying to catch three birds with one stone here," said Ellen Kim, senior fellow at the Korea Economic Institute of America.Kim \u200bYo Jong said she was unaware of recent communication between the two but added that Kim Jong Un held fond personal me