hankyoreh

US FA-18 fighter jets from the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson prepare for takeoff as part of the Key Resolve-Foal Eagle joint military exercises on Mar. 14. (Photo Pool)

South Korea has asked the US to postpone planned joint military exercises until after the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, the Financial Times reported on Dec. 11. The newspaper quoted four sources in Washington reporting that Seoul expressed the desire to delay next year’s annual joint Key Resolve and Foal Eagle military exercises until after the Pyeongchang Paralympics end on Mar. 18. Two of the sources said the US was likely to agree.

The newspaper interpreted the request as signaling Seoul’s desire to reduce the chances of North Korean provocations during the Games and open a window for future dialogue.

“A delay in the exercise would be a prudent move to decrease tensions . . . as athletes and guests from around the global [sic] come to a South Korean city only 50 miles [80 kilometers] from the demilitarised zone,” a source familiar with Seoul’s request was quoted as saying.

The source was also quoted as saying the need for major exercises was reduced because of extensive training by South Korean and US troops in 2017.

The same source also suggested the request was part of an effort to relax Chinese travel restrictions. The request was communicated to Washington ahead of South Korean President Moon Jae-in’s visit to China this week, amid struggles with low Chinese ticket purchase numbers for the Games due to restrictions on group travel in the wake of the THAAD antimissile system deployment, the newspaper explained.

The South Korean government has yet to state a clear position on the report. When asked at a Dec. 12 briefing whether discussions were under way on delaying the joint exercises until after the Olympics, Ministry of National Defense spokesperson Choi Hyun-soo said that “nothing has been decided.”

“There are limits on what I can say at present on matters under way between South Korea and the US, and it would be inappropriate,” Choi added. But when asked whether this meant there had been no discussions on the schedule for the exercises, she replied, “That is correct.”

In view of Moon’s central role in the UN’s September adoption of an Olympic truce resolution and emphasis on making the event a “peace Olympics,” however, the administration is seen as very likely to have proposed a delay in the exercises.

Some within the administration maintain that the postponement should be used as a way of encouraging North Korea’s participation in the Olympics. With no definite response from Pyongyang, signs also pointed to frustration with repeated reports in the foreign press suggesting the exercises’ postponement was a foregone conclusion.

“It would help [the success of the Pyeongchang Olympics] if the media were not so interested in the exercise postponement issue,” an administration official said.

Historically, South Korea and the US have held large-scale annual military exercises starting with Key Resolve in late February and early March and continuing to Foal Eagle through late April. The Pyeongchang Olympics are scheduled for Feb. 9–25 of next year, while the Paralympics will be taking place on Mar. 9–18. The UN has adopted an Olympic true resolution calling for a temporary halt to conflicts round the world for the period from seven days before the opening of the Winter Games and Paralympics until seven days after they finish.

By Jung E-gil, senior staff writer and Kim Ji-eun, staff reporter

Please direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]