ROK-US naval drill may be cancelled

By Jung Sung-ki

Staff reporter

A planned joint naval exercise by the South Korean and U.S. Navies in the West Sea is expected to be cancelled or at least downscaled, as China is frowning upon such a show of force in waters off its mainland, defense officials said Tuesday.

The plan had already been postponed several times amid speculation that such a move could anger China or cause North Korea to react more violently.

In May, Seoul and Washington announced plans to hold large-scale naval drills near the Northern Limit Line (NLL), a major flash point for inter-Korean naval conflicts, as part of the countermeasures to North Korea's alleged attack on a South Korean warship on March 26, in the disputed waters.

The Seoul government said Tuesday that the exercise would be delayed till the U.N. Security Council (UNSC) decides against the North over the sinking of the corvette Cheonan.

"A ROK-U.S. naval exercise will be held after the UNSC takes action on the Cheonan sinking. This delay doesn't mean we won't hold an exercise," Col. Lee Boong-wu, spokesman for the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), told reporters.

UNSC discussions on the ship sinking, however, have been stalled as China and Russia, the North's Cold War allies, are reluctant to blame Pyongyang as the culprit behind the disaster that claimed the lives of 46 South Korean sailors.

Beijing and Moscow have expressed reservations about the result of a multinational probe that found the reclusive North responsible. Their backing is crucial for any UNSC move because they are veto-wielding permanent members at the 15-nation security body.

Defense sources and pundits say the likelihood of a massive ROK-U.S. naval drill is slim.

"There is a possibility that the joint naval drill will be cancelled," a source told The Korea Times on condition of anonymity. "The dispatch of a U.S. aircraft carrier remains unclear, and Seoul and Washington would not take the risk that would jeopardize relations with China."

The U.S. 7th Fleet was considering sending its 97,000-ton USS George Washington, along with a destroyer and a nuclear submarine, to the exercise, according to the Ministry of National Defense.

But the participation of the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier was a topic of debates in the Pentagon, according to the Washington Post last month.

Beijing has expressed serious concern about the joint exercise that involves the giant nuclear-powered aircraft near its shores.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said last month, "We're extremely concerned about these reports and will closely follow developments."

"Under current circumstances, all parties concerned should exercise calm and restraint and do nothing to escalate tensions and harm the interests of countries in this region," Qin said.