[AP/Yonhap News Photo]
SEOUL -- U.S. President Donald Trump said suspending joint military exercises between U.S. and South Korean troops was his initiative to facilitate a nuclear deal with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un during their historic summit in Singapore.
Trump, however, warned the allies would resume "war games" if talks on denuclearizing North Korea break down. His message came ahead of an expected announcement by Seoul and Washington.
"Holding back the 'war games' during the negotiations was my request because they are VERY EXPENSIVE and set a bad light during a good faith negotiation," the U.S. leader wrote in a Twitter message. "Also, quite provocative. Can start up immediately if talks break down, which I hope will not happen!"
After his summit with Kim, Trump made a sudden overture that he would consider stopping "provocative and expensive" war games. Last week, South Korean President Moon Jae-in promised to carefully consider stopping the joint military exercises if North Korea "sincerely" engages in denuclearization and maintains dialogue.
There are about 28,000 US troops stationed in South Korea. Washington and Seoul insist their joint military exercises are purely defensive in nature, but Pyongyang has condemned them as provocative rehearsals for an attack on the nuclear-armed country.
Suspending joint military drills is a sensitive issue in South Korea where conservative groups support a strong security alliance to deter war. In their summit in April, Moon and Kim agreed to cease all acts of hostilities against the other side and work on establishing a permanent peace regime that would end confrontation for more than six decades.
reporter
Lim Chang-won
cwlim34@ajunews.com
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