The United States has canceled joint amphibious military maneuvers with South Korea, in a new example of Washington’s plans to reduce its military involvement on the peninsula citing good relations with North Korea and the military priority represented by the war in Iran.
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“The United States Marine Corps has officially notified the Republic of Korea Marine Corps that the deployment of its forces during this period is limited due to the situation in the Middle East,” said a spokesperson for the South Korean Marine Corps in statements collected by the Bloomberg agency.
Seoul points out that the decision should be due to the shortage of personnel related to US deployments in the Middle East, amid the war in Iran and the situation around the Strait of Hormuz.
Specifically, it is the ‘Ssangyong’ exercise, which includes drills of airborne and amphibious landing operations and which on previous occasions has involved the participation of the United States and the United Kingdom. On previous occasions, infiltration maneuvers were carried out with precision fire or shooting on the move practices.
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This step follows Washington’s agreement with Seoul to reduce joint military exercises between the two countries, which affected the maneuver known as Ulchi Freedom Shield, whose duration was shortened citing the high cost of operations and the Asian country’s refusal to join the war against Iran.
The initiative comes from the US president himself, Donald Trump, who announced on social media that he had ordered the Pentagon to “substantially” reduce military exercises citing the “very good relationship” with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
