World News
United States cancels joint marine exercise with South Korea due to Middle East conflict
South Korea announced that next month's Ssangyong drills were cancelled after the U.S. Marine Corps cited force constraints stemming from ongoing operations involving Iran.
The short version
- South Korea stated the U.S. cancelled next month's joint Ssangyong amphibious landing exercise due to Middle East troop deployments.
- The decision follows U.S. President Donald Trump's order last week to shorten the separate Ulchi Freedom Shield joint exercises.
- It remains uncertain when or if the Ssangyong exercises will be resumed, as consultations between Washington and Seoul are ongoing.
Key facts
- South Korean Marine Corps spokesman Han Seung-jeon stated that the U.S. Marine Corps formally issued a notification in June limiting its participation in the Ssangyong exercise because of Middle East deployments.[Al Jazeera]
- The cancellation follows President Trump's directive last week scaling back the annual Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises from 11 days to five, with Trump citing costs and Seoul's refusal to join the war against Iran.[Al Jazeera]
- North Korea denounced the joint military drills and launched 10 short-range ballistic missiles last week.[Al Jazeera]
- Discrepancies exist regarding North Korea's nuclear inventory, with President Trump claiming Pyongyang holds 57 nuclear weapons while Seoul estimates the arsenal between 80 and 120.[Al Jazeera]
What remains uncertain
- The Pentagon has not immediately commented on the cancellation, and details regarding when consultations might lead to the exercise's resumption remain unknown.[Al Jazeera]