Mattis: U.S. has no plans to cancel large military exercises on Korean peninsula

WASHINGTON — The Pentagon has no plans to suspend additional joint military exercises on the Korean Peninsula, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said Tuesday, in another indication that the diplomatic thaw between Washington and Pyongyang may be in trouble.

“We took the step to suspend several of the largest exercises as a good-faith measure coming out of the Singapore summit,” Mattis told reporters at the Pentagon, referring to President Donald Trump’s decision to shelve largescale drills with South Korea after meeting with Kim Jong Un, the North Korean leader, in June.

“We have no plans at this time to suspend any more exercises,” Mattis said.

Trump’s decision in June to suspend the annual military exercises that had long been planned with South Korea took even senior U.S. officials by surprise.

The defense secretary’s comments, at a news conference at the Pentagon, add to rising tensions between the U.S. and North Korea that escalated over the weekend.

State media in North Korea criticized the United States for what it called “extremely provocative and dangerous military moves” in Pacific waters. Late last week, Trump announced that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo would cancel his most recent plan to travel to Pyongyang.

It was unclear whether Mattis’ comments reflect a concerted shift in the Trump administration’s effort to rein in North Korea’s nuclear ambitions.

Trump’s policy toward Pyongyang has swung back and forth, from a Twitter spat with Kim to an unprecedented rapprochement at the meeting in Singapore.