The United States and South Korea announced the transfer of joint military drills. US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper said the move is an act of goodwill for North Korea, NBC News reported.
US, South Korea announce transfer of joint military drills
STEPANAKERT, NOVEMBER 18, ARTSAKHPRESS: “We have made this decision as an act of goodwill to contribute to an environment conducive to diplomacy and the advancement of peace,” Esper said. “I see this as a good-faith effort by the United States and the Republic of Korea to enable peace ... to facilitate a political agreement, a deal if you will, that leads to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.”
Following the historic summit of U.S. President Donald Trump with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Singapore in June 2018, the US paused or scaled down joint military drills to improve the atmosphere for denuclearization talks.
The first joint drills between the US and South Korea took place in 1955, a few months after the end of the Korean War, and since then have been held annually to maintain combat readiness for defense against North Korea.
Currently, about 28,500 US troops are deployed in South Korea.
