Hong Kong. August 2. INTERFAX-South Korea and the United States have not yet decided when and how to hold annual summer military exercises, Yonhap reports, citing the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Korea.
"South Korea and the United States are conducting close consultations taking into account the relevant situation," Defense Ministry spokesman Pu Song Chan said at a regular press briefing.
He noted that the consideration of this issue has not yet been completed. The representative of the Ministry of Defense also added that Seoul does not plan to hold inter-Korean talks to discuss the issue of joint exercises between the United States and South Korea.
Meanwhile, the representative of the Ministry of Unification of the two Koreas, Lee Joon-joo, said that South Korea will resolve the issue of joint military exercises with the United States in a "wise" and "flexible" way so as not to escalate tensions on the Korean peninsula.
According to her, "the joint military exercises of South Korea and the United States should not be used as an opportunity to increase tensions on the Korean peninsula under any circumstances."
A senior official of the Ministry of Unification of the two Koreas recently told reporters that it is "desirable" that South Korea and the United States suspend their summer military exercises, citing the global coronavirus pandemic and the need for North Korea's involvement.
South Korea and the United States are expected to hold annual joint military exercises in August.
Earlier, the sister of the leader of the DPRK and deputy head of the department of the Central Committee of the Workers ' Party of Korea, Kim Ye Jung, said that the annual summer military exercises between South Korea and the United States will have a bad impact on inter-Korean relations.
According to her, the exercises "seriously undermine the will of the top leaders of the North and South who want to take a step towards restoring mutual trust," and also "darken the prospects for relations between the North and the South."
