South Korea says US cancels Ssangyong marine drill citing Iran war
South Korea said on Monday that the United States had cancelled a large joint amphibious landing exercise scheduled for next month, citing constraints on American military forces caused by the ongoing war with Iran.
The exercise, known as Ssangyong, is a biennial drill involving marine forces from both countries. It is designed to strengthen combined operations through rehearsals of amphibious landings, typically using warships, aircraft and ground troops. This year's exercise was scheduled for September but has been called off, according to the South Korean Marine Corps.
"The U.S. Marine Corps formally notified our forces in June that its ability to deploy forces during this year's Ssangyong exercise would be constrained due to the situation in the Middle East," Han Seung-jeon, a spokesman for the South Korean Marine Corps, told reporters at a news briefing. He added that Seoul and Washington were continuing consultations on resuming the exercise, but gave no details.
The cancellation follows an order by U.S. President Donald Trump last week to scale down the separate annual Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise, reducing it from 11 days to five. Mr. Trump cited the high cost of the drills and said they sent an "inappropriate and hostile" signal to North Korea. He also highlighted his relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
The reductions in joint exercises come as Mr. Trump seeks to revive the relationship he had with Mr. Kim during his first term. On Wednesday, Mr. Trump said it was important to "get along" with Mr. Kim and claimed that Pyongyang now had 57 "very powerful" nuclear weapons. South Korea's government estimates that North Korea has between 80 and 120 such weapons.
Mr. Trump and Mr. Kim met three times during Mr. Trump's first term, but their second summit in Hanoi in 2019 collapsed without an agreement on denuclearisation. North Korea subsequently accelerated its nuclear and missile programmes.
The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Seoul's announcement.
The cancellation of Ssangyong reflects the strain on U.S. military resources caused by the war in the Middle East. The United States maintains approximately 28,500 troops in South Korea as part of an alliance that has been a cornerstone of security on the Korean Peninsula since the 1953 armistice. South Korean officials have described the cancellation as a logistical necessity, and both sides have emphasised that the broader alliance remains intact.
Ssangyong is one of the largest combined amphibious exercises conducted by the two allies. The last iteration was held in 2024, and no new date has been announced for its resumption.
