3 March
The US Department of Defense says the United States and South Korea have agreed not to hold joint large-scale military exercises in the spring.
The Pentagon issued a press release on Saturday about a phone call between US acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan and South Korean Minister of National Defense Jeong Kyeong-doo.
It says the two officials decided to suspend the Key Resolve and Foal Eagle series of exercises and adapt smaller-scale training programs instead. Key Resolve is a computer-simulated exercise to confirm coordination of the chain of command between the forces. The main focus of Foal Eagle is a Marine landing drill.
North Korea has reacted strongly to the spring exercises. The suspension of the drills is seen as a sign of the US intention to continue talks to denuclearize North Korea.
The US and South Korea suspended other regular joint exercises that were scheduled for August and December of last year. Some critics in the US are voicing concerns that the suspension of multiple exercises could reduce the country's military readiness.—NHK
