This could be a trial balloon by the ROK government to see what the US reaction would be to scaling down the upcoming joint exercises:
South Korean Defense Minister Song Young-moo (R) talks with U.S. Pacific Fleet Commander Adm. Scott Swift in Seoul on March 8, 2018. (Yonhap)
South Korean Defense Minister Song Young-moo “jokingly” said Thursday the United States does not need to send a nuclear submarine and other strategic assets to Korea for the upcoming joint military drills.
He made the remark during a meeting with visiting Pacific Fleet Commander Adm. Scott Swift amid speculation that Seoul hopes to scale down this year’s Key Resolve and Foal Eagle exercises in order to maintain the mood of inter-Korean reconciliation spurred by the PyeongChang Winter Olympics.
“Lots of changes are expected in South-North relations and (security conditions) surrounding the Korean Peninsula going forward,” the minister told the admiral, who is retiring in a few months.
In particular, Song added, the two Koreas plan to hold their third summit talks in late April with South Korea and the U.S. scheduled to stage the annual exercises.
He asked Swift to keep doing his best for a firm defense posture through his retirement, reportedly slated for May.
“You need not deploy (defense assets) like nuclear submarines during the remainder of your tenure as commander,” the minister said with a slight smile in front of TV cameras.
Swift briefly replied that his troops will stay ready for deployment in case of an order from national leaders.
Ministry officials later played down Song’s remark as a joke. [Yonhap]
Another trial balloon. Wasn’t the last one omitting the word “free” when describing a “free democracy?”
Lots of “typos” and “slips of the tongue” and “just making a little jest” lately.
I’m thinking South Korea could be in for a rude awakening.
Flyingsword
6 years ago
And who didn’t see commie moon doing this?
J6Junkie
6 years ago
Next will be scaling down our presence.
guitard
6 years ago
So what exactly constitutes “scaling down” an exercise? If you have 23,000 troops participate instead of 25,000 … is that scaling down? If you said there were going to be 23,000, but secretly left it at 25,000, would North Korea have a way of knowing? If you told your PAO to not say anything about the exercise to the press, would that be a form of scaling down the exercise?
J6Junkie
6 years ago
I bet Fatty gets all the drill data from his Commie lackeys in the ROK presidential office.
@Guitard, I think “scaling down” may be what the defense minister was hinting at, not having some naval assets visit the peninsula and maybe limit some of the field training exercises going on during the timeframe. I guess we will see what happens because someone will have to make a decision on this pretty soon.
Another trial balloon. Wasn’t the last one omitting the word “free” when describing a “free democracy?”
Lots of “typos” and “slips of the tongue” and “just making a little jest” lately.
I’m thinking South Korea could be in for a rude awakening.
And who didn’t see commie moon doing this?
Next will be scaling down our presence.
So what exactly constitutes “scaling down” an exercise? If you have 23,000 troops participate instead of 25,000 … is that scaling down? If you said there were going to be 23,000, but secretly left it at 25,000, would North Korea have a way of knowing? If you told your PAO to not say anything about the exercise to the press, would that be a form of scaling down the exercise?
I bet Fatty gets all the drill data from his Commie lackeys in the ROK presidential office.
@Guitard, I think “scaling down” may be what the defense minister was hinting at, not having some naval assets visit the peninsula and maybe limit some of the field training exercises going on during the timeframe. I guess we will see what happens because someone will have to make a decision on this pretty soon.