USFK says decisions regarding joint drills will be made via 'established consultation'

Seoul, July 28 US Forces Korea (USFK) said Monday that decisions regarding potential changes in combined South Korea-US drills "will be made through established consultation processes," after Seoul's unification minister said he will propose adjusting such drills to President Lee Jae Myung.

Unification Minister Chung Dong-young made the remarks earlier in the day, hours after Pyongyang denounced the Lee administration of "blindly adhering" to the South Korea-US alliance, declaring it will never engage in talks with Seoul.

"As always, any decisions regarding alliance training and exercises will be made through established consultation processes," the USFK said in a statement.

While noting that the USFK is "aware" of Chung's remarks, the armed service said it has yet to receive details of his proposal from the South Korean government.

Chung's remarks came as South Korea and the US are set to kick off their annual large-scale Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise next month, Yonhap news agency reported.

North Korea has long denounced the allies' joint military drills as rehearsals for an invasion and uses them as a pretext for provocations. South Korea and the US have said their exercises are defensive in nature.

Seoul's defence ministry reiterated that the allies have conducted regular joint drills to maintain their combined defence posture, saying there are "no changes so far" regarding the upcoming exercise.

Earlier today, Chung revealed the plan to reporters, saying, "Yes, I have such an intent," in response to a question about whether he plans to propose adjusting South Korea-US military exercises to Lee.

The minister's response came hours after Kim Yo-jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, accused the Lee administration of "blindly adhering" to the South Korea-US alliance, declaring that Pyongyang will never engage in talks with Seoul.

Citing continuing military drills with the United States, Kim argued that Lee is no different from his predecessor, referring to former President Yoon Suk Yeol, who pursued hard-line policies toward North Korea.

In mid-August, South Korea and the US are set to kick off their annual large-scale Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise.

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