South Korea, U.S. suspend Freedom Guardian exercise set for August
- 6 years ago
South Korea and the United States will suspend their regularly scheduled combined military exercises slated for August.
However, President Trump has tweeted that the drills can restart immediately,... if denuclearization talks with North Korea break down.
Park Ji-won reports.
Seoul's defense ministry announced early Tuesday morning that South Korea and the U.S. will suspend all planning as expected for the annual Freedom Guardian joint military exercises set for August.
The defense ministry's statement said the decision came after close consultation between the two countries.
The ministry said however,... a decision regarding other annual joint military drills,... like the Key Resolve and Foal Eagle exercises,... conducted in the spring every year,.. hasn't been reached yet.
South Korea's defense ministry spokesperson Choi Hyun-soo told reporters, during Tuesday's regular press briefing that South Korea and the U.S. are closely working together,... to ensure the ironclad security of both countries.
"South Korea and the U.S. are fully prepared and our joint defense has complete readiness... and will continue to do so."
The decision comes a matter of days after U.S. President Trump said he wanted to halt what he called "war games" on the peninsula,... saying that they are expensive and provocative.
He first made those remarks during the press conference that followed last week's summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Singapore.
But Trump also stressed, in a tweet sent out a day ago,... that the military exercises can start immediately if the denuclearization talks with the North break down.
South Korea's defense ministry spokesperson Choi also clarified the meaning of "suspension" in its statement.
"As we stress how the denuclearization talks with North Korea will roll out, the suspension means that the decision by the South and the U.S. will be effective,... as long as the denuclearization talks with Pyongyang are progressing."
The Ulchi Freedom Guardian is a large-scale joint military exercise,... conducted for around two weeks in late August each year. It has its origin in the Focus Lens exercise that was conducted annually by the U.S.-led U.N. Command since 1954,... following the Korean War.
In 1976, South Korea's annual Ulchi exercises, and the Focus Lens were integrated,... to create a joint military exercise called the Ulchi Focus Lens, the name of which was changed in 2008 to Ulchi-Freedom Guardian.
Last year’s Ulchi Freedom Guardian was held for about 11 days,... involving over 17-thousand U.S. and 50-thousand South Korean troops.
South Korea's Blue House Spokesperson Kim Eui-kyeom, meanwhile, said the decision whether to conduct South Korea's annual Ulchi military exercises this summer,... hasn't yet been made, and is still being examined.
Park Ji-won, Arirang News.
However, President Trump has tweeted that the drills can restart immediately,... if denuclearization talks with North Korea break down.
Park Ji-won reports.
Seoul's defense ministry announced early Tuesday morning that South Korea and the U.S. will suspend all planning as expected for the annual Freedom Guardian joint military exercises set for August.
The defense ministry's statement said the decision came after close consultation between the two countries.
The ministry said however,... a decision regarding other annual joint military drills,... like the Key Resolve and Foal Eagle exercises,... conducted in the spring every year,.. hasn't been reached yet.
South Korea's defense ministry spokesperson Choi Hyun-soo told reporters, during Tuesday's regular press briefing that South Korea and the U.S. are closely working together,... to ensure the ironclad security of both countries.
"South Korea and the U.S. are fully prepared and our joint defense has complete readiness... and will continue to do so."
The decision comes a matter of days after U.S. President Trump said he wanted to halt what he called "war games" on the peninsula,... saying that they are expensive and provocative.
He first made those remarks during the press conference that followed last week's summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Singapore.
But Trump also stressed, in a tweet sent out a day ago,... that the military exercises can start immediately if the denuclearization talks with the North break down.
South Korea's defense ministry spokesperson Choi also clarified the meaning of "suspension" in its statement.
"As we stress how the denuclearization talks with North Korea will roll out, the suspension means that the decision by the South and the U.S. will be effective,... as long as the denuclearization talks with Pyongyang are progressing."
The Ulchi Freedom Guardian is a large-scale joint military exercise,... conducted for around two weeks in late August each year. It has its origin in the Focus Lens exercise that was conducted annually by the U.S.-led U.N. Command since 1954,... following the Korean War.
In 1976, South Korea's annual Ulchi exercises, and the Focus Lens were integrated,... to create a joint military exercise called the Ulchi Focus Lens, the name of which was changed in 2008 to Ulchi-Freedom Guardian.
Last year’s Ulchi Freedom Guardian was held for about 11 days,... involving over 17-thousand U.S. and 50-thousand South Korean troops.
South Korea's Blue House Spokesperson Kim Eui-kyeom, meanwhile, said the decision whether to conduct South Korea's annual Ulchi military exercises this summer,... hasn't yet been made, and is still being examined.
Park Ji-won, Arirang News.