[Photo] Suspension of South Korea-US joint military drills saves only US$14 million

On July 10, US Defense Department spokesperson Colonel Robert Manning told Newsweek that the suspension of the Ulchi Freedom Guardian drills has saved the US government an estimated US$14 million. During his Singapore summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, US President Trump said the “provocative” war games cost a “tremendous amount of money” and hinted at plans to suspend them to alleviate North Korea-US tensions. The amount saved by suspending the drills accounts for 0.002 percent of the total US defense budget.