South Korea, US to stage joint summertime exercise behind schedule amid coronavirus: sources

South Korean soldiers during the joint South Korea-U.S. Ulchi Freedom Guardian (UFG) exercise in this August 2017 photo. Yonhap

South Korea and the United States plan to kick off a scaled-back annual summertime combined exercise next week, days behind schedule amid a recent surge in new coronavirus cases, sources said Saturday.

The computer-simulated command post exercise was initially set to begin Sunday and run until Aug. 28, but the start will be pushed back two days, the sources said, adding, however, that it will end on the planned date.

The change came after South Korean Army officer who was supposed to take part in the exercise tested positive for the coronavirus Friday after meeting with an infected civilian last week.

Around 160 members of the military were found to have had close contact with the officer and are undergoing virus tests, according to the Ministry of National Defense.

The government reported 166 new COVID-19 patients Saturday, a five-month high, mostly in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province.

"We are closely monitoring the virus situation and other circumstances, and maintaining close consultation on conducting the exercise while prioritizing the safety of service members," a military officer said.

Whether and how to conduct the regular exercise have been a focus of attention, as a springtime drill was postponed indefinitely due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The two countries decided to go ahead with the summertime exercise but in an adjusted manner, as American troops necessary for the program were not able to come to South Korea due to COVID-19 quarantine restrictions, according to the officials.

In the run-up to the exercise, the two allies held four days of crisis management training this week.

The upcoming exercise is meant to maintain their joint readiness posture and to check if Seoul is on course to meet the conditions to regain wartime operational control (OPCON) of its forces from Washington, according to the officials.

The two sides are expected to carry out a Full Operational Capability (FOC) test during the exercise, although a complete assessment is not possible under the current conditions. Last year, the two sides conducted an initial operational capability (IOC) test, and their defense ministers decided to move on to the FOC test.

Following the FOC test, the two sides will carry out a Full Mission Capability (FMC) test, the officials said. (Yonhap)

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