1. The Joint Chiefs of Staff announced that, following U.S. President Donald Trump's directive to scale down joint military exercises, the South Korea-U.S. Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS) exercise, which kicked off yesterday (August 18), will wrap up the day after tomorrow, cutting the schedule short by six days. It is reported that the allies will only proceed with some defensive drills scheduled through August 21 while canceling the second-part counterattack drills planned starting from August 24. Due to the drill downsizing, some U.S. personnel dispatched to South Korea from the U.S. mainland and other areas are expected to withdraw.
2. Moving on to more news regarding President Trump. As you may recall, President Trump stated while ordering the scale-down of South Korea-U.S. exercises that he has a good relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. The Wall Street Journal reported that President Trump has instructed aides to push for a summit with leader Kim as early as this fall. It is reported that a meeting between the two leaders on the sidelines of the APEC summit to be held in Shenzhen, China, this November is being discussed. Previously, President Trump also mentioned that leader Kim responded to his dialogue proposal, adding that talks are at a very positive stage.
3. Government officials have been bringing up this topic frequently lately. As the government reviews a plan to build public rental housing for young adults in Yongsan Park, Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Kim Yoon-duck stated that building housing by bulldozing the green areas of Yongsan Park as a whole is entirely out of the question. Attending the National Assembly's Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee today, Minister Kim explained that the remark meant the government would review alternatives to supply housing for young adults in a limited way where parts of the park are losing their functionality as green space. Meanwhile, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon attended a forum held at the National Assembly Member's Office building and stated, "We must not try to cover up the failure to stabilize housing prices by using Yongsan Park. No matter what happens, I will protect Yongsan Park at all costs."
4. Around 4:00 AM today, a collision occurred between a 25-ton dump truck and a 6-ton garbage truck at the Dodong Intersection in Yeongcheon, North Gyeongsang Province, resulting in the deaths of three sanitation workers who were aboard the garbage truck. The man in his 70s driving the dump truck also sustained serious injuries and was transported to a nearby hospital for treatment. Police stated they are investigating the exact cause of the accident, noting that the two vehicles appear to have collided as they simultaneously entered the intersection, which was operating under flashing signals at the time.
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