Regular Military Drills Between S Korea, US to Have Shorter Timeline - Reports

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The regular joint military exercises between South Korea and the United States, which start on April 1, are to last twice as less as in previous years, local media said Tuesday.

The regular military drills Foal Eagle and Key Resolve were postponed due to the Olympic Games in Pyeongchang.

Representatives of the South Korean Ministry of Defense stated that the drills are to be held at a scale "similar to those in previous years," which means that some 23,000 US and around 300,000 South Korean soldiers will take part in the events, the Yonhap news agency reported.

A representative of the US Forces Korea (USFK) said that the Foal Eagle is to run for four weeks, while the Key Resolve will be held for "about two weeks" from mid-April. Usually, they last for two months.

READ MORE: US, South Korea to Resume Joint Drills on April 1

The exercises are likely to end before the high-ranking meeting between South Korea’s President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jon Un, scheduled for late April.

Often viewed as a provocation by North Korea, the joint drills are to take place amid calming of tensions between South and North Korea and before the highly anticipated inter-Korean summit, where the parties may discuss denuclearization of the Korean peninsula.