(ATTN: ADDS more info in paras 3-6)

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 an "updated" statement on UFS and other bilateral exercises with South Korea.

Hours earlier, the Pentagon said that it had no changes to announce regarding UFS, referring questions about Trump's comments or the broader scope of his policy direction to the White House.

The updated 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 ongoing UFS exercise kicked off on Monday (Seoul time) and is set to run through Aug. 27. It is intended to reinforce the allies' capabilities against potential North Korean aggression and test Seoul's capability to lead combined forces as part of efforts to transfer wartime operational control from the U.S. to South Korea.

The White House did not respond immediately to questions on Trump's directive.

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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