(ATTN: UPDATES throughout)

By Song Sang-ho

WASHINGTON, Aug. 17 (Yonhap) -- A Pentagon official said Monday that the U.S. Defense Department is "actively" working on executing U.S. President Donald Trump's directive on South Korea-U.S. military exercises, a day after Trump said he has ordered the Pentagon to "substantially" reduce the allies' drills.

In a social media post, Trump said he has instructed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to scale back the joint military exercises in what was seen as a conciliatory gesture toward North Korea, just as Seoul and Washington kicked off their annual Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS) exercise in South Korea.

"The Department of War is actively working on executing the Commander-in-Chief's directive," an official from the department said in a statement.

The statement raised speculation that the allied drills would be reduced despite concerns that such a move could affect efforts to strengthen deterrence against North Korea's advancing nuclear and missile threats, which have been exacerbated by deepening cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow.

The White House did not respond immediately to questions from Yonhap News Agency.

In Sunday's Truth Social post, Trump announced his directive, noting that the drills are not only "costly" but also send a "totally inappropriate and hostile" signal to the North.

sshluck@yna.co.kr

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