S.Korea suspends annual military exercises

South Korea Tuesday announced that it would suspend its military exercises scheduled for August in order to facilitate talks on denuclearization between North Korea and the US.

"The government has decided to temporarily suspend the Ulchi exercise slated for later this year, in accordance with the changing security circumstances," Interior Minister Kim Boo-Kyum said after a cabinet meeting.

The Ulchi military drill is a set of maneuvers of the South Korean army as part of the joint Ulchi Freedom Guardian exercises carried out by Seoul and Washington, reports Efe news.

North Korea views these drills as a major threat to its security and suspects them to be trials for invading its territory.

Seoul and the US have already announced the temporary suspension of these maneuvers to facilitate the climate of dialogue as a result of the progress made at the June 12 historic summit in Singapore between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump.

At the Singapore summit, Pyongyang pledged to commit itself to the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula in exchange for Washington guaranteeing the survival of the North Korean regime.

--IANS

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