Trump’s UFS drill cuts complicate South Korea’s wartime Opcon transfer

South Korea and the United States cut short this year’s Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS) exercise on Aug. 21, six days ahead of schedule, after U.S. President Donald Trump ordered the Pentagon to substantially reduce the drills.

The second phase, built around a simulated counteroffensive against North Korea, was scrapped entirely.

South Korea’s Ministry of National Defense says the cut has not affected the country’s push to reclaim wartime operational control (Opcon) of its own military.

Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back told the…