Ministry of National Defense: "South Korea-US Joint Exercises Still Under Discussion"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] On the 2nd, the Ministry of National Defense stated that the timing, scale, and method of the second half joint exercises, which North Korea's Kim Yo-jong, Deputy Director of the Workers' Party, has effectively requested to cancel, have not yet been decided and are currently under consultation with the United States.

At a regular briefing that day, Ministry of National Defense spokesperson Boo Seung-chan, when asked about Kim Yo-jong's statement indicating that she would watch South Korea's decision regarding the ROK-US joint exercises, said, "There is nothing for the Ministry of National Defense to comment on at this level regarding this statement."

He added, "The ROK and the US are closely consulting comprehensively considering various conditions such as the spreading COVID-19 situation, maintaining the combined defense posture, creating conditions for the transfer of wartime operational control, and supporting diplomatic efforts for a permanent peace policy on the Korean Peninsula, in relation to the second half combined command post exercises."

He continued, "However, the timing, scale, and method of the second half combined command post exercises have not been finalized," and "These matters will be decided by the ROK-US authorities."

The US Department of Defense also responded to Yonhap News Agency's inquiry about Kim Yo-jong's statement by saying, "Joint exercises are decisions made by both the ROK and the US," and "Any decision will be made by mutual agreement."

It has been reported that the ROK and US are proceeding with consultations in the direction of conducting the joint exercises as planned despite Kim Yo-jong's statement.

The ROK-US military authorities are reportedly preparing for exercises scheduled as follows: Crisis Management Staff Training (CMST), a preliminary exercise, from the 10th to the 13th, and the second half combined command post training (21-2 CCPT) from the 16th to the 26th.

However, it is also reported that there is a possibility of some adjustments in scale or method depending on the COVID-19 situation and other factors.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.