USFK says decisions regarding joint drills will be made via 'established consultation'

Korean and U.S. soldiers are on their guard during an urban area operation drill which is part of Korea and the United States' joint military exercise in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, March 12. Joint Press Corp.

U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) said Monday that decisions regarding potential changes in combined South Korea-U.S. drills "will be made through established consultation processes," after Seoul's unification minister said he will propose adjusting such drills to President Lee Jae Myung.

Unification Minister Chung Dong-young made the remarks earlier in the day, hours after Pyongyang denounced the Lee administration of "blindly adhering" to the South Korea-U.S. alliance, declaring it will never engage in talks with Seoul.

"As always, any decisions regarding alliance training and exercises will be made through established consultation processes," USFK said in a statement.

While noting that USFK is "aware" of Chung's remarks, the armed service said it has yet to receive details of his proposal from the South Korean government.

Chung's remarks came as South Korea and the U.S. are set to kick off their annual large-scale Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise next month.

North Korea has long denounced the allies' joint military drills as rehearsals for an invasion and uses them as a pretext for provocations. South Korea and the U.S. have said their exercises are defensive in nature.

Seoul's defense ministry reiterated that the allies have conducted regular joint drills to maintain their combined defense posture, saying there are "no changes so far" regarding the upcoming exercise.