South Korea on Friday rejected North Korea’s demand to call off the “provocative” military drills with the United States, scheduled for February and March this year, saying that as a democracy it didn’t carry out pre-emptive strikes.
The North had called to halt the drills, labelling them as a prelude to invasion. However, the North this year had also suggested both sides take steps to ease tension, including a suspension of verbal attacks against each other.
“The Key Resolve and the Foal Eagle exercises will go ahead as scheduled … (South Korea) is a democratic country so we do not engage in pre-emptive strikes,” South Korean Defence Ministry spokesman Kim Min-seok said at a briefing.
Tension soared early last year as Pyongyang reacted angrily to tightened United Nations sanctions imposed in response to its latest nuclear test. North Korea said it would retaliate against any hostile moves by striking at the United States, Japan and South Korea, triggering months of fiery rhetoric.
South Korea also said the North’s latest demand, carried in a long statement issued by its National Defence Commission, was disingenuous, as it insulted the South even as North Korean leader Kim Jong UN called for improved ties.
The two Koreas have yet to come up with any substantial measures to reduce military tension on the world’s last Cold War frontier.
After more than 60 years since the end of 1950-53 Korean War, the two sides remain technically at war as the conflict ended with an armistice rather than a treaty.
But analysts say the North cannot risk igniting a conventional military conflict it would almost certainly lose.
