Korea-U.S. drills start Aug. 18

[Anchor]

The joint South Korea-U.S. exercises for the second half of the year will be conducted from the 18th of this month.

About half of the outdoor maneuver training originally planned has been postponed to next month.

The Ministry of Unification stated that the training has been "adjusted," while the military explained that it is due to the extreme heat and that it could be better for combat readiness.

Yoon Jin reports.

[Report]

The joint exercises conducted by South Korea and the U.S. every year in the second half, called the Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS), will take place from the 18th to the 28th.

UFS will consist of command post exercises based on computer simulations and outdoor practical training, but among the more than 40 outdoor practical training sessions originally planned, over 20 have been postponed to next month.

A senior official from the Ministry of Unification stated that the postponement of some training is seen as an adjustment based on the Ministry's recommendations, adding, "We hope that the South Korea-U.S. training will also contribute to easing tensions on the Korean Peninsula."

Military authorities have stated that they considered the extreme heat and other factors.

[Lee Seong-jun/Director of Public Affairs, Joint Chiefs of Staff: "Rather than concentrating training during a specific period, it may be better to implement it evenly throughout the year to maintain a balanced combat readiness posture."]

A Defense Ministry official also explained that "the postponed training is individual joint training that is not directly related to this exercise."

However, the content of the joint press release has changed.

Last year, it explicitly stated that it focused on "responding to North Korea's weapons of mass destruction," but this year, it referred to "realistic threats" without mentioning North Korea.

[Ryan Donald/Spokesperson for U.S. Forces Korea: "DPRK is certainly a key factor of our overall security environment, and their omission from the release shouldn't take away, diminish that threat."]

North Korea has always reacted negatively whenever joint South Korea-U.S. exercises are held.

Amid our government's policy of engagement with North Korea, attention is focused on how North Korea will respond this time in terms of intensity and expression.

This is KBS News, Yoon Jin.