KIM DEMANDS HALTING OF S. KOREA-US DRILLS

[Anchor Lead]

Following the restoration of inter-Korean communication lines, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has demanded a stop to South Korea-US joint drills. Attention is drawn to what decision Seoul and Washington will make regarding the combined exercise as the two sides have been seeking to resume dialogue with Pyongyang even amidst the pandemic.

[Pkg]

In a New Year statement at the start of this year, North Korea called for a suspension of the South Korea-U.S. military drills. When the two sides’ springtime exercise kicked off in March, Kim Yo-jong, the powerful sister of North Korea’s leader, issued a statement, harshly criticizing South Korea.

[Soundbite] (N. Korea’s Korean Central TV(Mar. 16)) : "The warm spring day of 3 years ago South Korea has hoped for is unlikely to return."

However since then, the U.S. presented a new set of North Korea policies and reached out to the North. The leaders of the two Koreas also began to exchange letters since April, which ultimately led to the reconnection of cross-border communication lines. This is why Seoul and Washington are carefully deliberating on their joint summertime exercise scheduled for this month. North Korea has said that “now is an important juncture” which could mean the recent stalemate may turn to dialogue. The Moon Jae-in administration, with just months left in its time in office, is determined to make good out of the latest developments. A senior Unification Ministry official said that making the best of this opportunity will bring about very fruitful results in denuclearization negotiations. The official added that as the COVID-19 situation is more serious than in March, it is desirable to postpone the joint drill. However a delay or cancellation of the prepared drill could cause a fallout in South Korea-U.S. relations. Some say that in the mid to long term, such a decision will also negatively impact nuclear negotiations.

[Soundbite] Prof. Park Won-gon(Ewha Womans University) : "Without the North’s promise to return to nuclear talks, suspending the joint drill is giving up an important bargaining chip in nuke negotiations."

Just as last year when regulations on anti-Pyongyang leaflet campaigns were hotly debated, there is also speculation this time that North Korea’s latest statement could become a political issue and restrict the allies' maneuverability in their range of actions. In fact rival parties in South Korea are already split over whether the joint drill should be delayed. The Defense Ministry has reiterated its existing stance that the matter is still under discussion, in consideration of various factors.