Downsized joint military drill begin

Republic of Korea Marines' armored vehicles return to their base in the nation's southeastern city of Pohang on April 5 last year after ending a joint amphibious landing exercise with its U.S. counterpart. / Yonhap

By Lee Min-hyung

South Korea and the United States kicked off a downsized joint military exercise, Monday, by keeping it low-key in reflection of the ongoing mood for peace on the Korean Peninsula, the Ministry of National Defense said.

The allies will carry out the “Dong Maeng” exercise, which in English means “alliance,” until March 12 focusing on enhancing defense readiness against possible military threats. The new drill is a replacement for two now-halted annual joint drills, Key Resolve and Foal Eagle.

The two drills had been the largest joint drills taking place each year between March and April. But defense authorities from the two countries decided Sunday to stop holding the exercises and replace them with the smaller-scale combined command post exercise.

The Key Resolve drill has for years been conducted for two weeks, with the second half of the exercise focusing on the allies' counterattack operations in case of possible threats from enemies.

But Seoul and Washington will skip the exercise on reinforcing strike capabilities, and will instead focus on tightening defense readiness and risk management during the reorganized drill.

This has raised concerns that the replacement exercise may create a possible security hole here.

“The period and scale of the exercise have somewhat changed, but this will not affect the allies' plans on achieving a practical goal through the exercise,” a military official said.

On Sunday, U.S. President Donald Trump said the key reason to downsize the drills is to save costs.

“The reason I do not want military drills with South Korea is to save hundreds of millions of dollars for the U.S. for which we are not reimbursed,” Trump tweeted.

He also said the decision also helps to reduce inter-Korean tension amid their rare momentum for reconciliation.

Since taking office in January 2017, Trump has urged the South to pay more for defense cost sharing with the U.S.

His latest remark on the joint exercise is also expected to have come against a similar backdrop of intensifying diplomatic pressures against the South. He has in recent years stepped up pressure on the South to pay more for the upkeep of the United States Forces Korea.

The South's defense ministry declined to comment on Trump's remark, with ministry spokeswoman Choi Hyun-soo saying it is not proper for the South's defense authority to comment on any remarks by the U.S. president.

Unlike last year, the South's defense authority will also hold an independent Marine amphibious landing drill in April without the participation of the U.S. troops.

The Ssangyong, or double dragon, is a joint Marine exercise between Seoul and Washington to maintain their amphibious capabilities, but the U.S. decided not to dispatch any troops or equipment for this year's exercise.