US to end large-scale war games with South Korea' after Trump's meeting with Kim Jong-un

Move seen as part of effort to ease tensions with North

The US is to end its major war game exercises with South Korea as part of an effort to ease tensions with the North.

Following his first meeting with Kim Jong-un last June in Singapore, Donald Trump ordered the cancellation of several exercise with South Korea, something he claimed were too costly and which North Korea said were a provocation.

Now it has emerged two major exercises – Key Resolve and Foal Eagle – are to be scrapped and replaced with smaller, more streamlined ones.

The Independent understands the announcement will be made this weekend following a conversation between the US and South Korean defence ministers. The Pentagon said it had no comment on the issue.

The decision was first reported by NBC News, which said it was part of an effort to ease tensions with North Korea after Mr Trump and Mr Kim failed to secure an agreement during their second summit, in Vietnam. Both sides blamed the other, for coming away empty-handed.

“The US has identified ways to mitigate potential readiness concerns by looking at required mission tasks versus having to conduct large-scale exercises,” one defence official told the network.

When Mr Trump announced the move last year he followed up with a tweet that caught many off guard.

“Holding back the ‘war games’ during the negotiations was my request because they are VERY EXPENSIVE and set a bad light during a good faith negotiation. Also, quite provocative. Can start up immediately if talks break down, which I hope will not happen!” Mr Trump tweeted.

Critics of the decision said the move undermined the US’s commitment to South Korea, a long-time US ally, and where at least 35,000 US troops are stationed.

Talking to reporters this week in Hanoi, Mr Trump said he had made the decision regarding last year’s exercises he was also looking at the financial cost.

“We spent hundreds of millions of dollars on those exercises, and I hated to see it,” he said. “I was telling the generals – I said, look, you know, exercising is fun and it’s nice and they play the war games. And I’m not saying it’s not necessary, because at some levels it is, but at other levels it’s not. But it’s a very, very expensive thing. And you know, we do have to think about that too.”

The US military has long defended the exercises as part of an effort to help South Korea protect itself against any attack from the North.