US, South Korea resuming military drills on Monday

The United States and South Korea will begin small-scale military exercises on Monday, a spokesman for South Korea’s Ministry of Defense told Reuters.

The Yonhap news agency reported that 500 American and South Korean troops will participate in the exercises, which have been delayed since June as amid denuclearization talks with North Korea. 

“The KMEP will start from November in accordance with the South Korea-U.S. annual plan,” a Seoul official told the news agency, referring to the Korean Marine Exchange Program. “It is an annual tactical combined forces training aimed at maintaining our joint defense posture.”

{mosads}The military exercises will come days after North Korea threatened to resume nuclear development if the U.S. doesn’t lift sanctions against the country. 

The U.S. and South Korea had previously suspended a number of military exercises as President Trump has tried to get North Korea to agree to denuclearize. Ending joint exercises between the two countries is a top demand of Pyongyang.

South Korean Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo said during a visit to the Pentagon last week that the countries would decide by December whether to suspend next year’s exercises.