Seoul, South Korea: The South Korean and US militaries have decided to postpone announcing a date for the allies' major springtime exercise for this year due to differences over the scale of on-field drills, sources said Sunday.
The two countries had planned to make the announcement in a joint press briefing Wednesday, but it was shelved after the US military expressed reluctance over the South's proposal to minimize field training during the Freedom Shield exercise, according to South Korea's (Yonhap) news agency.
The major exercise takes place every spring under an all-out war scenario as the allies seek to enhance readiness against North Korea's advancing nuclear and weapons programs.
Under the current Lee Jae Myung administration, Seoul has sought to scale back the allies' on-field drills in an apparent reconciliatory gesture to Pyongyang, which has long criticized them as preparations for an invasion against it, Yonhap said.
"The announcement was postponed due to coordination issues over on-field exercises," a South Korean military source said. "The South Korean side seeks to minimize on-field training but the US side has shown reservations."
The US military has reportedly expressed disapproval to the South's proposal as additional troops and equipment have already arrived in the country to take part in the drills, according to Yonhap.
The two sides plan to undergo further coordination and announce the exercise later this month or early March.
During the allies' major summertime Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise last year, the two sides conducted only half of some 40 on-field drills that had been initially planned over the exercise period, staging the rest of them until the end of the year.
"The Freedom Shield exercise, planned for March, will take place normally," an official at the Korean defense ministry said, noting that it will focus on verifying capabilities to ensure the transition of wartime operational control to the South Korean military, which currently lies with US forces.
