SAEDNEWS: The armed forces of South Korea and the United States began the Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises on Monday, with the drills proceeding as scheduled, according to the Newsis news agency.
According to Saednews, Earlier, US President Donald Trump said he had ordered a reduction in the scale of the exercises. However, according to reports, the drills are continuing as originally planned.
Ulchi Freedom Shield is one of the two largest joint military exercises conducted by the United States and South Korea on the Korean Peninsula, TASS reported.
This year, around 18,000 South Korean military personnel are taking part. Authorities had previously stated that the overall scale of the exercises would be similar to previous years. However, local media reported, even before Trump's remarks, that the number of field training exercises had been reduced from 17 to 14.
Newsis also reported that South Korea's Ministry of National Defense had not received any official notification regarding the US president's statement.
The Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises are scheduled to take place from August 17 to 27.
