In a move that is likely to enrage nuclear-armed North Korea, the South Korean Defense Ministry said Tuesday that by the end of next month it will announce plans for postponed joint military exercises with the United States.
South Korean defense chief Song Young-moo said that he would join U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis to announce the drills' schedule sometime between the conclusion of the Winter Paralympics on March 18 and the start of April, according to the Yonhap news agency.
The drills had been postponed to avoid conflicting with the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics and Paralympics in South Korea. After the decision to reschedule the exercises — known as Key Resolve and Foal Eagle — Pyongyang and Seoul held their first official talks in more than two years, discussions that culminated in an agreement by North Korea to send athletes and others to the Winter Games and easing the standoff over the North's nuclear and missile programs.