S. Korea, US Preparing For Joint Drills Despite Threats From Pyongyang - Ministry

South Korea and the United States are preparing for their joint military drills scheduled for August despite warnings from Pyongyang that the exercises could disrupt the US-North Korea denuclearization talks, South Korean Defense Ministry spokeswoman Choi Hyun-soo said on Thursday

TOKYO (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 18th July, 2019) South Korea and the United States are preparing for their joint military drills scheduled for August despite warnings from Pyongyang that the exercises could disrupt the US-North Korea denuclearization talks, South Korean Defense Ministry spokeswoman Choi Hyun-soo said on Thursday.

On Tuesday, the North Korean Foreign Ministry warned that the upcoming 19-2 Dong Maeng (Alliance) exercise of South Korea and the United States might affect Pyongyang's working-level nuclear talks with Washington. The ministry's spokesman said that Pyongyang would continue monitoring the next US steps and decide whether to engage in talks.

"Preparations are under way regarding the matter," Choi said, as quoted by the Yonhap news agency.

The Pentagon last year downsized and renamed the summertime Freedom Guardian command post drills to 19-2 Dong Maeng exercise. It will take place from August 11-20. North Korea has described the war games as preparation for invasion.

US President Donald Trump had a surprise meeting with the North's leader, Kim Jong Un, in a village on the Korean demarcation line on June 30. Trump told reporters they had agreed to working-level nuclear talks, expected to restart the North Korean denuclearization process.