By Lee Min-hyung
South Korea has delayed an independent military exercise slated to begin later this month in efforts to ensure the smooth progress of the ongoing denuclearization and normalization talks with North Korea, according to the Ministry of National Defense.
This is the first time the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) has decided to postpone the annual Taegeuk command-post exercise, held in May or June each year, since it started in 1995.
The decision came in response to a recent agreement between Seoul and Washington to suspend their large-scale Ulchi Freedom Guardian (UFG) drill in August. On Tuesday, both sides agreed to suspend the joint exercise in return for North Korea's ongoing pledge to realize complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
Detailed schedules for the resumption of the Taegeuk exercise have not been fixed, according to the JCS. The JCS planned to stage the drill for four days starting June 26 to enhance defense readiness and brace for the North's possible military provocations.
The Ministry of National Defense remains in a position to respond flexibly to North Korea's current and upcoming steps to fulfill its peace pledge. The ministry hopes not to provoke the regime by conducting military exercises, as the North views annual drills in the South as the biggest stumbling block to peace.
Starting this year, the regime called on Seoul and Washington to stop its joint military exercises in exchange for the North's decision to carry out nuclear disarmament and stop its military provocations.
After holding a landmark summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on June 12, U.S. President Donald Trump declared the end of “war games” on the Korean Peninsula provided the regime continues to fulfill its peace efforts without staging any military provocations.
South Korea and the U.S. have yet to make a decision whether to suspend other scheduled joint military exercises, as it will depend on whether the North takes sincere and verifiable steps to keep its pledge for denuclearization.
To determine the future defense posture, U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis plans to visit Seoul next week to meet with his South Korean counterpart Song Young-moo.
“It is likely both of the defense chiefs will discuss follow-up measures over the suspension of the UFG drills,” South Korea's defense ministry spokeswoman Choi Hyun-soo said in a media briefing, Thursday.
Given that Pyongyang shows no clear signs of breaking its denuclearization pledge at least for the time being, chances are Seoul and Washington will consider suspending other joint drills, such as the Vigilant ACE (Air Component Exercise) in December and other large-scale annual exercises ― including Key Resolve and Foal Eagle drills in the spring.