All major South Korea-US joint exercises suspended
This August 2017 photo shows South Korean soldiers during an air assault training, part of the joint South Korea-U.S. Ulchi Freedom Guardian (UFG) exercise. Yonhap file
By Jung Da-min
South Korea is planning to launch a new civilian-military exercise named "Ulchi Taegeuk" in late May, in a move to replace the South Korea-U.S. joint drill Ulchi Freedom Guardian (UFG), according to an official at the Ministry of National Defense, Wednesday.
This came after the allies kicked off a downsized joint exercise named “Dong Maeng,” after suspending their springtime Key Resolve and Foal Eagle exercises, which U.S. President Donald Trump branded as a “waste of money.” The downsized drill will run until March 12.
Ulchi Taegeuk is scheduled to take place from May 27 to 30. It combines the South Korean military's independent Taegeuk command post exercise in May and the South Korea-led Ulchi government exercise in August, part of the UFG.
The UFG, a large-scale joint drill that involves about 480,000 people from around 4,000 government and public organizations across the country, is expected to be abolished. It is usually held in August.
The new drill in May will focus on strengthening the South Korean military's independent capabilities to fend off armed attacks as well as respond to terrorist attacks and disasters.
The decision to halt UFG comes 43 years after it was initiated in 1976 under the name Ulchi Focus Lens. It was renamed the UFG in 2008.
Last year, Seoul and Washington decided to temporarily suspend the UFG exercise, for the sake of the peace momentum on the Korean Peninsula, after each side held summits with North Korea.
The two governments are planning to launch a downsized joint exercise instead, but the details including its name and the exact dates have yet to be decided.
This is the latest in the series of reorganization moves of the two governments' defense drills.
Seoul and Washington could set up a separate combined command post exercise in August if the UFG is abolished, giving Seoul an opportunity to verify its initial operational capability required to retake wartime operational control (OPCON). The two sides have been pushing for a “conditions-based” OPCON transfer, which include South Korea's full operational and mission capabilities.