In order not to antagonize the North Korean regime, the US and South Korea have decided to stop holding the Foal Eagle and Key Resolve annual joint military exercises, which in the past have involved up to 200,000 South Korean forces and 30,000 US troops.

North Korea has considered the exercises on the Korean peninsula to be a major provocation. According to the US and South Korea, the decision was made to support “diplomatic efforts to achieve complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula”. After US president Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jung-un met in Singapore Last year, various exercises were already cancelled as a sign of goodwill. Instead of the large-scale exercises, the US and South Korea will now organize joint military drills on a smaller scale.

Read more: South Korea and US to end two large-scale war games