S. Korea to announce joint military drill plan with US before April

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South Korea said on Tuesday it will announce the plan for joint military drills with the United States before April.

The plan will be announced after the Winter Paralympics hosted by South Korea end on March 18 and before the start of April, Defense Minister Song Young-moo told parliament.

Seoul and Washington had agreed to push back the regular joint military drill until after the PyeongChang Games.

Talks to resume the drill between Seoul and Washington are moving forward, Unification Minister Cho Myong-gyon told lawmakers, without giving further details on the timing of the drills.

US aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson arrives for an annual joint military exercise called "Foal Eagle" between South Korea and the US, at the port of Busan, March 15, 2017. /VCG Photo‍

Troops from the two countries usually hold military exercises called Key Resolve and Foal Eagle in March and April, which can involve as many as 17,000 US troops and more than 300,000 South Koreans.

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) denounces the drills as preparations for an invasion, and it has at times conducted missile tests or taken other aggressive action in response.

Pyongyang this month warned it would not sit idle if the United States goes ahead with the military exercises with South Korea, delayed with the aim of ensuring a peaceful Winter Olympics.

DPRK's cheerleaders wave their national flag during the Men's Giant Slalom at the Jeongseon Alpine Center during the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympic Games, Feb. 18, 2018. /VCG Photo

Since the decision to delay the drill, the DPRK agreed to hold the first official talks with South Korea in more than two years, amid a standoff over Pyongyang's nuclear and missile programs.

South Korea has also been floating the idea of co-hosting the 2021 Asian Winter Games with the DPRK, which Yonhap news agency reported a DPRK's official as saying might be possible.

Source(s): Reuters