U.S., South Korea to reduce scope of 'Foal Eagle' military drill: Mattis

[webfact]

U.S., South Korea to reduce scope of 'Foal Eagle' military drill: Mattis

By Idrees Ali

 

Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis speaks during a meeting with Greek Minister of Defense Panagiotis Kammenos after an enhanced honor cordon at the Pentagon in Washington, U.S., October 9, 2018. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts/Files

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said on Wednesday a joint military exercise with South Korea called "Foal Eagle" would be reduced in scope next year so it does not harm diplomatic efforts with North Korea.

 

"Foal Eagle is being reorganized a bit to keep it at a level that will not be harmful to diplomacy," Mattis told reporters.

 

The Foal Eagle field exercise, which usually involves thousands of combined ground, air, naval and special operations troops, takes place every spring.

 

Mattis did not provide details on what a scaled-back version of the exercise would entail.

 

South Korea's defense ministry said on Thursday the allies were still in talks over next year's drill and they would formally announce their decision early next month.

 

"Both sides' militaries are discussing ways to prop up the two governments' diplomatic efforts to bring progress on North Korea's denuclearization," spokeswoman Choi Hyun-soo told a news briefing in Seoul.

 

U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un agreed at an unprecedented summit in June to work toward denuclearization and peace on the Korean peninsula and establish new relations.

 

The United States and South Korea have suspended a number of military exercises since then to encourage talks with North Korea.

 

However, negotiations have since made little headway, with Pyongyang upset by Washington's insistence that international sanctions must remain until North Korea gives up its nuclear weapons.

 

Trump caught many U.S. officials off guard when he announced after his summit with Kim that the United States was suspending the summer's joint military drills with South Korea, known as Ulchi Freedom Guardian.

 

The new commander of U.S. forces in South Korea, General Robert Abrams, said in September the decision to suspend some joint exercises was a "prudent risk" but had caused a "slight degradation" in military readiness.

 

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Tuesday the United States had told its ally South Korea it should not improve ties with North Korea faster than Pyongyang takes steps to give up its nuclear weapons.

 

In a rare sign of discord between Seoul and Washington last month, South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha said Pompeo had expressed "discontent" at an inter-Korean military pact reached during a summit in September.

 

(Reporting by Idrees Ali; Additional reporting by Hyonhee Shin in SEOUL; Editing by Bill Berkrot and Paul Tait)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2018-11-22

[Srikcir]

9 hours ago, webfact said:

In a rare sign of discord between Seoul and Washington

I would call it, "In a rare sign of sovereignty between Seoul and Washington"

Any diplomatic gains made with North Korea have been made by South Korea since the Trump-Kim Summit Meeting, often with warnings from Trump for Moon not to engage North Korea without Trump's approval.

[Prissana Pescud]

Many countries sent military aid to Korea when the war first started. They have had no say whatsoever since the US has taken over all debate on Nth Korea since the armistice.

Yet many countries other than the US has had blood spilled on Korean soil to create what is now South Korea. Remember that the invasion of Korea was a so called UN (possibly league of nations) project. As a person who has relatives blood on this peninsular, I find it objectionable that Trump has hijacked the dialogue with twitter feeds and abuse and has achieved precisely nothing.

There has been no progress, the threat still remains. China has withdrawn support (in fact China and US are in a defacto cold war) 

There are indications that Nth Korea has largely under reported its so called obligations for the so called Trump deal.The weapons remain and now military containment exercises designed to polish up defence training are being curtailed.

Mr Trump desires isolationism, possibly the best solution to the US under him is to isolate completely. So go home. Trade in a purely US block. And let the Koreas to sort their own problems out. The US is hindering peace in this region. Go home.   

[Patriot1066]

1 hour ago, Srikcir said:

I would call it, "In a rare sign of sovereignty between Seoul and Washington"

Any diplomatic gains made with North Korea have been made by South Korea since the Trump-Kim Summit Meeting, often with warnings from Trump for Moon not to engage North Korea without Trump's approval.

Sounds like a move in the right direction though and saves a little face for the North Koreans.

[grumpy 4680]

     I can appreciate the south wanting to appease the north, in order to re-unite the whole country, for the sake of the people, But lets face it, it would always be Kim wanting to run the whole show, then what would life be for the people then, he would then trash a modern south, Just like China's doing to Hong Kong.

[baboon]

15 hours ago, Prissana Pescud said:

Yet many countries other than the US has had blood spilled on Korean soil to create what is now South Korea.

I agree with a lot of what you have to say, but in the interests of historical accuracy, must point out that 'South Korea' (ROK) was in existence for almost two years before the war began.

[Prissana Pescud]

2 hours ago, baboon said:

I agree with a lot of what you have to say, but in the interests of historical accuracy, must point out that 'South Korea' (ROK) was in existence for almost two years before the war began.

You are correct. My wording was wrong. I meant the South Korea that exists now with a line drawn to separate the two Koreas that did not exist before the war started.

I have visited Sth Korea only the once. I went to pay my respects to the family that was taken away from me. Of course they died up in Nth Korea near the river that separates Korea from China and I will never be able to visit Kapyong. Perhaps they did some good, dying to preserve the kind of freedom that South Korea now enjoys. 

I was not made to feel welcome in Sth Korea either. I am from the dinosaur past to modern Sth Korea. The past and the obligations that come from the past that modern Korea and the US wants gone from the history books. My family members died next to a British unit that was also wiped out by the Chinese. I mention this to you because I know you have a keen interest in Korea. (Lest We Forget)  

[bristolboy]

4 minutes ago, Prissana Pescud said:

You are correct. My wording was wrong. I meant the South Korea that exists now with a line drawn to separate the two Koreas that did not exist before the war started.

Not true. 

"At the end of World War II, Korea was divided into Soviet and U.S. zones of occupations. A separate election was held in the U.S. zone in 1948 which led to the creation of the Republic of Korea (ROK), while the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) was established in the Soviet zone. The United Nations at the time passed a resolution declaring the ROK to be the only lawful government in Korea.^[24]"

^{https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Korea}