00:00South Korea and the United States will shorten their annual joint military drills to five days from 11
00:06after President Donald Trump ordered a significant reduction in U.S. participation.
00:11Seoul and Washington have agreed to reduce both the duration and scale of the exercises,
00:18with some combined field maneuvers will also be scaled back.
00:22The Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise began on August 17 and will now conclude on August 21
00:28instead of the previously scheduled August 27.
00:31A U.S. Department of Defense official said the exercise and related live training events
00:37had been substantially reduced, with some activities were cancelled while others were moved to simulations.
00:43The changes followed Trump's order on Sunday to reduce the U.S. role in the drills
00:48due to his positive relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
00:52North Korea criticized the drills, saying it would continue exercising its right to self-defense
00:57against what it considers military threats.
01:00State news agency KCNA reported that Pyongyang accused Washington and Seoul
01:05of fueling tensions on the Korean Peninsula.
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