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| F-16 fighter jets land at the Osan air base in Gyeonggi Province, Monday. The defense ministry announced the same day that the annual US-ROK Key Resolve and Foal Eagle drills will begin on April 1, after the exercises were delayed for the PyeongChang Winter Olympics. /Yonhap |
By Kim Bo-eun
The upcoming joint military exercises between the U.S. and South Korea will minimize the deployment of U.S. strategic assets such as nuclear subs and strategic bombers.
In a brief statement, the defense ministry said on Tuesday the drills, which had been delayed until after the Winter Olympics and Paralympics, will begin on April 1, on "a scale similar to previous years."
It did not provide details on what assets will be deployed or state how long the drills will last in comparison to previous years.
The United Nations Command notified the North Korean military of the plan the same day, and that the drills would be held as a regular exercise for defense purposes, the ministry said.
The Foal Eagle exercise will reportedly be held for one month ― compared to the usual two-month duration. The Key Resolve drills have usually been held for two weeks.
The shortened period was viewed as taking into consideration the progress in inter-Korean relations, as the two Koreas will hold a summit in April.
Pyongyang has long denounced the drills, referring to them as threats.
However, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) dismissed this view, stating the exercises were shortened due to the hosting of the Winter Games.
The JCS spokesman said he could not provide figures on how many troops would be involved.
According to The New York Times, the U.S. Department of Defense said around 23,000 U.S. and 300,000 South Korean troops will take part, stating this is similar to the number in previous years.
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