A military exercise between the U.S. and South Korea scheduled for August has been called off, but whether any other “war games” take place on the Korean peninsula in the future is still to be determined, according to the Department of Defense.
“Consistent with President Trump’s commitment and in concert with our Republic of Korea ally, the United States military has suspended all planning for this August’s defensive ‘war game,'” Pentagon chief spokeswoman Dana White announced in a statement, referring to the Ulchi Freedom Guardian exercise.
“We are still coordinating additional actions. No decisions on subsequent war games have been made,” she continued. “There is no impact on Pacific exercises outside of the Korean Peninsula.”
A meeting between Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and national security adviser John Bolton will be convened later this week to discuss the issue, White added.
Ulchi Freedom Guardian is an annual U.S.-South Korean command-and-control exercise “to enhance readiness, protect the region and maintain stability,” according to DOD’s website.
The decision to cancel the exercise follows Trump’s historic summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un last Tuesday in Singapore.
At the conclusion of a series of bilateral meetings, the pair signed a four-point joint declaration. Trump also agreed to suspend exercises on the peninsula while Kim said his regime would destroy a missile engine test site.
