- South Korea and the United States have cut short their annual joint military drills almost a week earlier than scheduled at Washington's request.
- President Donald Trump ordered Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth to scale back the exercises, calling them inappropriate and hostile towards North Korea while citing his relationship with Kim Jong Un.
- South Korean foreign minister Cho Hyun indicated that allied military officers were not informed in advance, marking the first time a joint exercise has been truncated while underway.
- North Korea denounced the exercises and described the allies as warmongers, though its official state media refrained from mentioning Trump or the reduction of the drills.
- Trump is reportedly attempting to arrange an in-person summit with Kim Jong Un this autumn, though experts believe North Korea will demand major concessions before returning to talks.
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