S. Korea, US postpone announcement of date for annual military drills

Seoul, South Korea: The South Korean and US militaries have decided to postpone announcing a date for the allies major springtime exercise for this y...

Seoul, South Korea: The South Korean and US militaries have decided to postpone announcing a date for the allies' major springtime exercise for this year due to differences over the scale of on-field drills, sources said Sunday.

The two countries had planned to make the announcement in a joint press briefing Wednesday, but it was shelved after the US military expressed reluctance over the South's proposal to minimize field training during the Freedom Shield exercise, according to South Korea's (Yonhap) news agency.

The major exercise takes place every spring under an all-out war scenario as the allies seek to enhance readiness against North Korea's advancing nuclear and weapons programs.

Under the current Lee Jae Myung administration, Seoul has sought to scale back the allies' on-field drills in an apparent reconciliatory gesture to Pyongyang, which has long criticized them as preparations for an invasion against it, Yonhap said.

"The announcement was postponed due to coordination issues over on-field exercises," a South Korean military source said. "The South Korean side seeks to minimize on-field training but the US side has shown reservations."