South Korea, US to begin scaled-down military drill

Military helicopters at U.S. Army Garrison (USAG) Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, during a command post exercise (CPX) are seen in this March file photo. Yonhap

By Jung Da-min, Park Ji-won

South Korea and the U.S. will stage their first joint military drill led by a South Korean general starting this weekend, in preparation for the planned transfer of wartime operational control (OPCON), according to military authorities, Monday.

But more precisely, this year's joint exercise is likely to be “toned down” to keep the momentum of denuclearization talks between Washington and Pyongyang alive.

The South Korean military began its independent command post exercise (CPX) to counter possible emergencies on the Korean Peninsula including attacks from North Korea, which will be followed by a 10-day joint drill with the United States from Aug. 11 to 20.

“The South Korean military is preparing for the joint drill (with the United States) for the Initial Operative Capability (IOC) certification,” ministry spokeswoman Choi Hyun-soo told a press briefing.

While Choi did not elaborate on the drill's specific timeline or official name, the official announcement by the military authority is expected come around Aug. 9 when U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper meets Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo at the ministry's Yongsan headquarters.

The CPX exercise and the Korea-U.S. joint drill come amid North Korea's test launches of short-range ballistic missiles and what it has described as a “newly developed large-caliber multiple launch guided rocket system,” on July 25 and 31 and Aug. 2.

The drill is expected to exclude “sensitive” parts such as the expulsion of the North Korean leadership, to support diplomatic peace efforts. But the two allies agreed to carry out counterattack scenarios against the North because the drill is for the South Korean military's IOC certification.

Combined Forces Command (CFC) Deputy Commander Gen. Choi Byung-hyuk will be the first South Korean general to lead the joint exercise.

CFC commander Gen. Robert Abrams will be deputy commander during the drill, which is aimed at obtaining IOC certification for the South Korean military.

The Korean military's CPX is likely to be held for four days and the joint drill will consist of two parts ― first from Aug. 11 to 14 and second from Aug. 16 to 19 ― followed by a general review on Aug. 20.

Meanwhile, the two defense chiefs are expected to discuss dispatch of the South Korean Cheonghae naval unit to the Strait of Hormuz and the possible renewal of the General Security Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA) military intelligence-sharing pact with Japan.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday called for help in the Persian Gulf from allies including South Korea and Japan. But ministry spokeswoman Choi said the military has so far received no requests from the U.S.

During a session with lawmakers of the National Defense Committee at the National Assembly, Jeong reiterated that the government was “carefully” considering the renewal of the pact with Japan.

“Regarding the GSOMIA, the government was initially considering the renewal of it … So far, nothing has been decided,” Jeong said.

The government is facing a deadline on Aug. 24 to notify Tokyo whether it will cancel the military information-sharing agreement, one of the key symbols of trilateral security cooperation between Seoul, Washington and Tokyo.