NEWS BRIEF

[Anchor Lead]

South Korea and the United States on Tuesday kicked off their summertime combined exercise in a scaled-back manner amid the coronavirus pandemic. The drill will last through August 28. This year the number of US troops dispatched as well as Korean forces participating are both down. A computer-simulated command post training will take place instead of actual outdoor maneuvers and the exercise will be defensive in nature.
North Korea said Tuesday it will hold a plenary Central Committee meeting of the Workers Party's politburo on Wednesday to decide on a critical issue related to advancing the revolution and strengthening the party's fighting power. But the official Korean Central News Agency did not provide further detail on what will be discussed. Observers note the meeting may also issue a message directed to South Korea or the U.S. concerning their joint exercise which kicked off Tuesday.
According to the Korea Customs Service, South Korea's exports dropped 7.1% year-on-year to 42.8 billion dollars in July. The decline has eased from a 10.8% on-year drop posted in June. By country, shipments to the U.S. jumped 7.7%, the first increase in 4 months while exports to China also rose 2.5%. But exports to Vietnam, the European Union, Japan and the Middle East still recorded a drop from a year ago.