FROM EIR DAILY ALERT

U.S., South Korean Defense Chiefs Confirm the End of Large-Scale Joint Military Exercises

March 3, 2019 (EIRNS))—The U.S. Department of Defense issued a release March 2 confirming earlier press reports that the U.S. and South Korea have agreed to end the large-scale joint military exercises which normally begin in March. The release said that Seoul’s Minister of National Defense Jeong Kyeong-doo and the Acting U.S. Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan spoke by phone on March 2, to assess the Trump-Kim summit and discuss “further coordination of measures to establish complete denuclearization and lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula, as well as steps to maintain the readiness of combined forces.”

The release reported:

“The Secretary and Minister reviewed and approved the Alliance decisions recommended by the Commander of U.S. Forces Korea and the Republic of Korea Joint Chiefs of Staff on the combined exercise and training program. Following close coordination, both sides decided to conclude the Key Resolve and Foal Eagle series of exercises.”

The two nations will continue close military cooperation and assure combat readiness through smaller exercises. The massive exercises were perceived as a provocation by North Korea, just as the nuclear and missile tests in North Korea were seen as provocations by the U.S. and South Korea. Chairman Kim Jong Un has agreed to continue the suspension of these tests, President Donald Trump announced after the summit.