Trump cuts South Korea drills short, catching Seoul officials off guard

Across the world, a major U.S.-South Korea military exercise will end six days early

after President Trump ordered the Allies to scale it back. Alchi Freedom Shield began Monday and was supposed to run through August 27th

It will now end Friday. The Pentagon says some live training has been dropped, while other events will shift to simulations

but says American forces will still meet their training and readiness goals

South Korea's military says the change came at Washington's request, and it appears to have caught officials in Seoul off guard

South Korea's foreign minister told lawmakers that officials in both countries did not know about Trump's decision before he announced it

Trump ordered the reduction just hours before the exercise began, saying the drill sent a totally inappropriate and hostile signal to North Korea

He also pointed to his very good relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un

The annual exercise tests how U.S. and South Korean forces would respond together to a crisis on the Korean peninsula

On Wednesday, North Korean state media again criticized the training, saying Pyongyang would continue to exercise what it calls its right to self-defense

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