The US and South Korea will announce a new schedule for holding annual joint military exercises that were postponed in a bid to ease tensions with Pyongyang during the PyeongChang Winter Olympics.
South Korean Minister of National Defense Song Young-moo reportedly said on Tuesday that a new schedule for the maneuvers will be announced soon after the games end in March.
“The schedule of the Korea-US joint military exercises will be jointly announced by the two countries after the Winter Paralympics come to an end on March 18,” and before April, Song is said to have told the National Assembly’s defense committee in Seoul.
Until then, the two countries will maintain a “neither confirm nor deny” posture on dates for the exercises, Song added, noting that the decision was made after consulting with US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis.
“Our governments’ shared position is that the delay of the Korea-US joint exercises is in keeping with the Olympic spirit,” Song said.
The annual US-South Korea military exercises have been a flash point of fiery North Korean criticism. Pyongyang has repeatedly demanded an end to the decades-long exercises amid efforts by the US and its allies to find a diplomatic solution to the nuclear crisis.
Analysts will closely monitor North Korea’s reaction if Seoul and Washington proceed with the exercises — which involve joint US and South Korean ground, air and naval operations.
Why not SK and NK joint exercises, without US participation?
NK will ready its ICBMs just in case that the military exercises turn out to be an invasion. It is pointless for USA to provocate NK and take the unnecessary risk. South Korea do not want war and should refuse to take part in such exercises.