SEOUL - The Republic of Korea (ROK) decided Tuesday to cancel this year's Ulchi defense drill, an annual domestic exercise aimed at examining the country's war preparedness, on improved relations with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).

According to a joint press release from the Ministry of National Defense and the Ministry of Public Administration and Security, the decision was made during the Cabinet meeting in accordance with recent security situations and the suspension of the ROK-US joint military exercises.

The cancellation of this year's Ulchi drill came after Seoul and Washington announced on June 19 the halt of the Freedom Guardian (UFG) joint annual war games, slated for August. The two drills have been taking place in tandem every August.

US President Donald Trump vowed to stop any "provocative" war games with the ROK as long as talks continue with the DPRK during his first summit meeting with top DPRK leader Kim Jong-un in Singapore on June 12.