United States - The United States and South Korea have announced that they will end their joint military exercises on a large scale, while Washington seeks to improve ties with North Korea. The decision is taken days after the closing of the second summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Hanoi, which ended without a formal agreement, but with both sides suggesting they would continue to talk.
In a telephone call made on Saturday (2) between South Korean Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo and his American counterpart, Patrick Shanahan, "both sides decided to complete the Key Resolve and Foal Eagle series of exercises," according to statement from the Pentagon.
The two allies will instead conduct "maneuver training and joint command exercises to maintain military readiness," the Seoul Ministry of Defense said Sunday. The Foal Eagle is the largest joint joint exercises performed by the Allies, and has always infuriated Pyongyang, who has condemned it in preparation for an invasion.
In the past, it involved 200,000 South Korean forces and about 30,000 American troops.
It is accompanied by Key Resolve, a computer-simulated war game driven by military commanders that usually begins in March and lasts 10 days.
