Joint Military Exercise

[Anchor Lead]

South Korean and American military have decided to end their annual joint exercises, the Key Resolve and Foal Eagle programs, starting this year. Instead, the two allies will maintain their solid defense readiness through a newly established exercise program.

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The Key Resolve and Foal Eagle exercises were the largest and most important joint exercises conducted every year by South Korea and the United States. However, South Korean Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo and his American counterpart Patrick Shanahan decided in a phone call to end these two key exercises. It appears the two sides have been discussing the matter even before the North Korea-U.S. summit in Hanoi and finalized the decision immediately after the summit. The latest military decision falls in line with what U.S. President Donald Trump had said in a press conference following the summit.

[Soundbite] Donald Trump(U.S. President (Feb. 28))

The Key Resolve exercise was a computer-simulated war game that assesses the joint defense readiness and prepares for war. Starting this year, its name will be changed to "Dongmaeng" or "Alliance" and the exercise will be halved from two weeks to just one week. The Foal Eagle exercise, which used to be a combined field maneuver training in preparation for regular warfare, will lose its name and will be downsized to a battalion-grade program that is operated all year round. This means the three largest joint military exercises have all been concluded or suspended as the Ulchi Freedom Guardian exercise was deferred last August after the Pyongyang-Washington summit in Singapore last year. The highest military authorities in Seoul and Washington said the latest decision was a supportive measure for diplomatic efforts to bring complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. The two ministers, however, reaffirmed the security pledge that the two countries will continuously ensure a South Korea-U.S. joint defense posture and maintain full military readiness through the new combined drill programs.