Drilling Down on Diplomacy: What Reduced Military Exercises Reveal About US North Korea Relations The annual joint military exercises between South Korea and the United States have been a staple of regional security for decades.
This year's scaled back version has sparked controversy, with the decision to halve the Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise period and reduce some combined field training activities seen as a conciliatory gesture ahead of potential talks between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
The reduced exercises mark another significant shift in the US approach to the region. Gone are the high profile displays of military might; instead, diplomacy with Pyongyang is taking center stage.