SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — The South Korean and U.S. militaries have agreed to shorten their drills at the U.S.'s request, South Korean officials said Wednesday, a move that likely reflected President Donald Trump’s hopes to reengage with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un but could undermine a U.S.-South Korean defense readiness.
Trump had ordered his Pentagon chief to “substantially reduce” the allies’ summertime Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises, just before they began Monday for an 11-day run. Trump cited what he said was a good relationship with Kim and South Korea’s refusal to join the U.S. war against Iran.
South Korea’s military said in a statement the ongoing drills with the U.S. would end Friday, not Aug. 27 as initially planned. It said the allies also agreed to downsize some joint field training exercises.
Many experts say Trump’s move threatens to hurt combined U.S.-South Korean defense posture and eventually weaken their decades-long alliance.
Ulchi Freedom Shield is largely a computer-simulated command post exercise meant to hone the allies’ ability to deal with potential regional security threats like North Korean aggression. The two countries usually hold field training exercises during the command post exercise period.
The drills and a similar springtime exercise are a central pillar of the U.S. -South Korea alliance, which dates to the 1950-53 Korean War. But it’s also a long-running source of tensions with North Korea, which has denounced the exercises as a rehearsal for war and responded with provocative missile tests.
This month's drills were reportedly supposed to be held in two phases — the first part until this Friday with a focus on defensive operations in simulation of North Korean attacks and the second part until Aug. 27 to practice counteroffensive operations. North Korea is typically extremely sensitive to counteroffensive drills.
North Korea hasn't responded to Trump's overture. But earlier Wednesday, its state news agency, KCNA, published commentary slamming the U.S.-South Korean military drills as “frantic” and “extremely dangerous” and vowing to completely frustrate its rivals’ hostilities.
“The dangerous escalation of the war drills staged by the U.S. and its vassal forces is posing a more serious threat to the security rights” of North Korea, the commentary said. “Our exercise of its right to self-defense will continue to completely neutralize the enemies’ military threat.”
Many experts said Kim, now emboldened by his advancing nuclear program and expanding military cooperation, won't likely embrace Trump's overture anytime soon unless he's promised bigger concessions. In response to Trump's previous outreach, Kim suggested last year that he can return to talks only after the U.S. drops its demand of a North Korean denuclearization as a precondition for diplomacy.
Trump and Kim met three times from 2018-2019 but their high-stakes diplomacy eventually fell apart over wrangling over a North Korean demand for extensive sanctions relief in return for limited denuclearization steps.
FILE - U.S. President Donald Trump, right, meets with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Sentosa Island in Singapore, on June 12, 2018. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)
The U.S. Army's soldiers conduct a training exercise on a river in Yeoncheon, South Korea, near the border with North Korea, Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
U.S. Army's soldiers conduct a training exercise on a river in Yeoncheon, South Korea, near the border with North Korea, Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Alaska voters are choosing candidates for November’s general election in a series of primary contests Tuesday, including a U.S. Senate race that will be among the most closely watched in the nation this fall.
The campaign featured over a dozen contenders in each of the top races — for Senate, U.S. House and governor. Under Alaska’s open primary system, all candidates appear on the same ballot, and the four who receive the most votes qualify for the ranked vote general election.
Tuesday's ballot also included state legislative candidates and a statewide initiative that would reimpose campaign contribution limits in state and local elections.
The highest-profile candidates in a field of 16 were two-term Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan and Democratic former U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola.
The race, which could help determine control of the Senate, has drawn significant attention from outside groups, with Republican and Democratic campaign organizations identifying it as a top target. Peltola shook up her campaign leadership days before the primary, letting her campaign manager go and elevating a deputy to that role. In a statement, the campaign described the changes as “staffing updates as we transition into the general election.”
Sullivan, a veteran and ally of President Donald Trump, has campaigned on supporting the military, opening more land for oil and gas extraction, and voting for Trump's signature tax and spending law. He accused Peltola of being aligned with Lower 48 “liberals.”
Peltola leaned into the “fish, family, freedom” slogan that first got her elected in 2022, and criticized a political system she said is rigged by special interests and allows politicians to enrich themselves.
But it was a third candidate, a Republican also named Dan Sullivan, who garnered much of the attention.
Dan J. Sullivan won a legal fight to appear on the ballot despite claims by the senator and GOP allies that he was a sham candidate running at the behest of Democrats with the intent of causing confusion. Dan J. Sullivan, a retired teacher from the island community of Petersburg, denied that and said frustration with the incumbent prompted him to run.
He appeared on the ballot as Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., with no party affiliation — a decision that a state elections official said was intended to minimize possible confusion. Meanwhile, the senator was listed as Dan S. Sullivan, Republican and incumbent. No other candidate seeking reelection has the “incumbent” label.
The drama involving the dueling Dan Sullivans caught the attention of Trump. In a social media post endorsing the senator days before the primary, he called the other's candidacy an attempt to trick voters and urged his followers to vote for “SULLIVAN, DAN S.”
The Senate race seemed to be top of mind for those who cast their ballots on the final day of voting.
Jeri Kissner said she wanted to shake up the status quo and thinks Congress must do more to push back against Trump. She favored Peltola in the Senate race because she did not like the other options.
“I’m so disappointed in our Congress to acquiesce to the president and his minions,” Kissner said.
Voter Tom Dienst, who described himself as an “extremely staunch Reagan Republican,” said he was looking for candidates with “good standards” and supported Sen. Sullivan. He said Trump needs allies to help carry out his agenda.
Dienst said it would be a shock if a Democrat won one of the main statewide races in November.
In the race for Alaska's only U.S. House seat, the most prominent candidates were Republican Rep. Nick Begich, seeking a second term, and independent Bill Hill, a fisherman and former educator from a small southwestern village.
Progressive Democrat Matt Schultz suspended his campaign last month but remained on the ballot. His campaign said Schultz would withdraw as a general election candidate if he makes the primary's top four.
Schultz urged support for Hill, who leaned into concerns about affordability. Begich, who was endorsed by Trump, cast himself as hardworking and effective in his role. House Speaker Mike Johnson appeared at a rally for Begich in a conservative part of the state this month, though the event was closed to news media.
The campaign for the state’s top executive office was an open race this year because Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy was barred by term limits from seeking a third consecutive stint.
Two Democrats hoped to emerge from a crowded, largely Republican field: former state lawmakers Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins and Tom Begich, who is Nick Begich's uncle. If either wins in November, he would become Alaska's first Democratic governor since Tony Knowles left office in 2002.
Republicans in the race included Bernadette Wilson, a businessperson and conservative activist; Click Bishop, a former state labor commissioner and lawmaker; Dave Bronson, former mayor of Anchorage; and Adam Crum and Treg Taylor, two former members of Dunleavy's Cabinet.
Former Gov. Bill Walker, an independent, also was on the ballot.
The lone ballot measure in the primary asked voters to reimpose campaign contribution limits, five years after a divided federal appeals court struck down a number of caps.
The measure proposes a $2,000 limit on how much individuals can give to candidates in state and local elections and a $5,000 cap on what they can give to political parties. It also would limit spending by groups other than political parties, and limit what individuals and groups can give to joint campaigns for governor and lieutenant governor.
Supporters say such limits are needed to prevent outsize influence by special interests and wealthy donors. Opponents say the measure would favor candidates with name recognition and restrict the free expression rights of contributors.
Political spending by wealthy people has become a flashpoint in races in Alaska and elsewhere. In 2025 in Wisconsin, billionaires Elon Musk and George Soros helped push spending in a state Supreme Court campaign past $100 million, the most ever for a court race in the U.S.
Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, who is seeking a third term, flashes a thumbs up after a passing motorist honked during a sign waving event at an intersection on primary election day in Anchorage, Alaska, Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Mark Thiessen)
U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, speaks at a get out the vote event held at farm in Palmer, Alaska, on Monday, Aug. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Mark Thiessen)
FILE - Alaska Republican U.S. Rep. Nick Begich walks down a corridor in the state Capitol before giving a speech to Alaska lawmakers, March 10, 2026, in Juneau, Alaska. (AP Photo/Becky Bohrer, File)
FILE - Alaska U.S. House candidate Bill Hill, an independent, speaks with people at a campaign fundraising event in Juneau, Alaska, June 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Becky Bohrer, File)
FILE - Dan Sullivan, a candidate in Alaska's U.S. Senate race who shares his name with the incumbent seeking reelection, talks with a reporter, July 3, 2026, in Petersburg, Alaska. (AP Photo/Becky Bohrer, File)
FILE - Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, speaks to reporters at the Capitol in Washington, June 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
FILE - Alaska U.S. Senate candidate Mary Peltola, a Democrat, speaks during a campaign rally on May 14, 2026, in Juneau, Alaska. (AP Photo/Becky Bohrer, file)
