US, South Korea to end key joint military exercises

SEOUL: The US and South Korea announced on Sunday an end to key annual large-scale military exercises in support of diplomatic efforts to persuade North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons programme.

The decision comes days after the conclusion of US President Donald Trump’s second summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Hanoi, which ended without a formal agreement but with both sides suggesting they would keep talking.

There are close to 30,000 US troops stationed in South Korea, and their annual drills with tens of thousands of South Korean soldiers have been a perennial target of North Korean fury — with Pyongyang condemning the manoeuvres as provocative rehearsals for invasion.

While Trump has ruled out withdrawing the troops, he has repeatedly complained about the cost of the exercises, describing them at a press conference in Hanoi as “very, very expensive”.

During a Saturday phone call between South Korean Defence Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo and his US counterpart Patrick Shanahan, “both sides decided to conclude the Key Resolve and Foal Eagle series of exercises”, according to a Pentagon statement.

Foal Eagle is the biggest of the regular joint exercises held by the allies.

In the past, it has involved 200,000 South Korean forces and some 30,000 US soldiers.

It is accompanied by Key Resolve, a computer-simulated war game conducted by military commanders which usually begins in March and runs for about 10 days.

The decision was reached to support ongoing diplomatic efforts for North Korea’s denuclearisation and ease military tensions with the North, Seoul’s defence ministry said on Sunday. Washington and Seoul will instead conduct “modified” drills starting on Monday through to March 12, a joint military statement announced on Sunday.

The nine-day exercise, officially named “Dong Maeng” or “Alliance”, will largely focus on joint defence manoeuvres rather than the offensive posture of the Key Resolve drill, a South Korean military official who requested anonymity said. — AFP