The South Korean Navy announced on Monday that the United States had cancelled amphibious landing exercises scheduled for September, due to limited U.S. forces available amid a potential war with Iran.
A spokesman for the South Korean Marine Corps said during a press conference that the US side officially informed Seoul last June that the number of soldiers needed to carry out the "Sangyeong" division-level exercise would be limited.
He added that the two sides are continuing their consultations regarding the possibility of resuming training, without disclosing specific measures to avoid its cancellation in the future or to compensate for the training opportunities lost by the forces.
US forces stationed in South Korea did not immediately comment on the decision.
The cancellation of the exercise comes after US President Donald Trump ordered a reduction in the scope of separate annual military drills between Washington and Seoul, which concluded on Friday, citing their high cost and South Korea's refusal to participate in a war against Iran.
Despite the scaled-down exercises, North Korea launched ten short-range ballistic missiles last week and issued a statement condemning the joint military drills.
