South Korea, US announce smaller joint military exercises due to pandemic

Defence Redefined

Published on 07/03/2021 at 10:04

South Korea and the United States will hold their annual joint military exercises next week, but these will be smaller due to the new coronavirus pandemic.

The 9th joint military exercise, which is set to begin on Monday, is still expected to cause outrage in North Korea, with Pyongyang calling these drills the groundwork for an attack.

“The annual exercise (…) will be computer-simulated,” it will concern the “command” of the two countries’ troops and will be “strictly defensive”, the South Korean General Staff said in a press release.

Also read: Korea | Tensions between Pyongyang and Seoul are rising VIDEO

These exercises, after the inauguration of the new US Democratic President, Joe Biden, will be held while the dialogue between Washington and Pyongyang has reached a complete impasse after the last meeting of Mr. Biden’s predecessor, Donald Trump, with Kim Jong Un, in Hanoi in February 2019.

About 30,000 US troops remain deployed in South Korea. Tens of thousands of South Korean soldiers take part in the annual joint drills. Some experts believe that Pyongyang may use these drills to challenge and test the Biden government.

Also read: Korea | Tensions between Pyongyang and Seoul are rising VIDEO