[Photo] S. Korea and US scrap Max Thunder exercise

South Korea and the US have canceled their annual joint aerial exercise Max Thunder. A military official announced on Apr. 23 Max Thunder, which is normally held in April or May, will be canceled this year, adding that both sides have been carrying out drills of smaller flight squads that do not involve US strategic assets. The Max Thunder exercise, based on the US Air Force’s Exercise Red Flag in Alaska, normally involved over 100 South Korean and US fighter jets. North Korea has expressed its displeasure with the exercise before, referring to them as “intentional military provocation.”