“The reason I do not want military drills with South Korea is to save hundreds of millions of dollars for the U.S. for which we are not reimbursed,” Trump tweeted. “That was my position long before I became President. Also, reducing tensions with North Korea at this time is a good thing!” In place of Key Resolve, the two militaries will conduct a new exercise named “Dong Maeng,” which means alliance in Korean, and lower-level drills to replace the Foal Eagle field training. Dong Maeng is scheduled to kick off Monday. It will run for nine days, half the duration of Key Resolve.

The decision came after Trump’s second summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un ended without an agreement in Hanoi last week. The two men had sought a deal on dismantling the North’s nuclear weapons program in exchange for U.S. concessions. North Korea has long condemned the military exercises as an invasion rehearsal against the regime.Trump suspended a major combined exercise in the wake of his first summit with Kim in Singapore in June.

(Yonhap)