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NK should respond to restraint on military exercises
After the June 12 U.S.-North Korea summit in Singapore, U.S. President Donald Trump unexpectedly raised the issue of stopping joint exercises with South Korea while denuclearization talks were underway with Pyongyang. The North views the drills as a rehearsal for an invasion.
Trump's controversial comment turned into reality as the allies announced Tuesday their decision to suspend the Ulchi Freedom Guardian (UFG) exercise scheduled for August.
The U.S. Defense Department said the decision was "consistent with President Trump's commitment in concert with our Republic of Korea ally." But Trump hinted at the possibility of resuming them, if the June 12 agreement on realizing "complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula" signed by him and the North Korean leader does not proceed in the right direction.
"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," Trump tweeted. "Also, quite provocative. Can start up immediately if talks break down, which I hope will not happen!"
It is noteworthy that the allies' decision was announced on the same day Kim made yet another visit to Beijing to discuss post-summit measures.
China's state media confirmed Kim's arrival on Tuesday. The visit confirms Kim is communicating closely with Chinese President Xi Jinping regarding strategies for denuclearization talks with the U.S. China has supported the "suspension for suspension" initiative. The Chinese foreign ministry said Pyongyang's suspension of nuclear tests and Korea-U.S. restraint on joint military drills "amount to the de facto suspension for suspension" proposed by China.
It remains to be seen whether North Korea will respond to the Korea-U.S. move by making its own concessions.
It is time to create the right conditions for the U.S.-North Korea talks to move forward and the suspension of joint drills can be viewed as a necessary step. However, some may see the move as premature when Pyongyang still has a long way to go in the denuclearization process.
The Ministry of National Defense explained the allies' decision was to promote the peaceful mood for inter-Korean dialogue and talks between Pyongyang and Washington. While those reasons are conducive for President Moon's peace drive, they will lose their justification if they ultimately end up undermining Korea-U.S. defense posture, which is the backbone of our national security.
