▲ This photo shows military helicopters at Camp Humphreys, a sprawling U.S. military base in Pyeongtaek, some 65 kilometers south of Seoul, on Aug. 19, 2024. (Yonhap)

S Korea-US-drills

No changes to S. Korea-U.S. combined training schedule: USFK

By Song Sang-ho and Lee Minji

WASHINGTON/SEOUL, Jan. 31 (Yonhap) -- The U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) said Friday there have been no changes to the schedule of regular combined military drills between South Korea and the United States, amid questions over how U.S. President Donald Trump would look at what he once dubbed the "expensive" war games.

During Trump's first term, Seoul and Washington suspended or scaled down major allied drills to back diplomacy with North Korea. But the allies beefed up joint drills during the preceding Biden administration that focused on bolstering deterrence against the North in tandem with South Korea and Japan.

"As of now, there have been no changes to the schedule of the U.S.-ROK combined training," the 28,500-strong USFK said in a statement provided to Yonhap News Agency. ROK is short for South Korea's official name, the Republic of Korea.

The USFK reiterated that the allies' combined exercises are "routine defensive training events designed to strengthen the U.S.-ROK alliance, enhance our combined defense posture and improve joint defense readiness."

"These exercises significantly contribute to promoting peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and in the Northeast Asia region," it said.

An official at Seoul's defense ministry struck the same note.

"To date, there is no change to the South Korea-U.S. combined training schedule," the official told Yonhap News Agency. "The defense authorities of South Korea and the U.S. are closely cooperating over (plans for) the execution of combined exercises."

Key combined exercises include the Freedom Shield and Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises that typically kick off in late February or early March, and in August, respectively.

Earlier this week, Radio Free Asia (RFA) cited a Pentagon official as saying that this year's combined drills between Seoul and Washington will proceed as planned, though things could change depending on Trump's policy decision and developments related to the legal proceedings surrounding now-impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol.

In a recent interview with RFA, Fred Fleitz, who served as the chief of staff of the National Security Council during Trump's first term, said that if there is some sign that Pyongyang will engage in "good-faith" negotiations with the U.S., he does not see "any harm" in suspending the allies' drills during the talks.

During a recent Fox News interview, Trump said he will reach out to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un again, raising the prospects for the resumption of Trump's personal diplomacy with the dynastic ruler.

He portrayed Kim as a "smart guy" and "not a religious zealot" -- an expression that apparently indicates that the dynastic ruler is someone he could communicate with again for a parley.

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