South Korea: Drills with US suspended to help talks with North

The defense ministry of South Korea on Tuesday said it would pause its military exercises with the United States as the talks about North Korea’s nuclear program continue.

“South Korea and the U.S. made the decision as we believe this will contribute to maintaining such momentum,” defense ministry spokeswoman Choi Hyun-soo said, as reported by The Associated Press.

{mosads}“We consider the ongoing denuclearization negotiations with North Korea as crucial, so as long as those negotiations continue, the decision by the governments of South Korea and the United States will be maintained,” said Choi. 

The remarks come after President Trump on Sunday said the U.S. would pause its joint exercises with South Korea while it participates in ongoing talks with Pyongyang about its nuclear weapons program. 

“Holding back the ‘war games’ during the negotiations was my request because they are VERY EXPENSIVE and set a bad light during a good faith negotiation,” the president wrote on Twitter.

“Also, quite provocative. Can start up immediately if talks break down, which I hope will not happen!”

Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at the historic summit last week signed a joint statement that said the United States would give North Korea “security guarantees” and Kim would reiterate “his firm and unwavering commitment to complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.”

The statement, however, did not include specifications as to how the two nations would reach denuclearization.

Kim on Tuesday met with Chinese President Xi Jinping during his third trip to China in recent months.