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Gen. Paul LaCamera speaks during the change-of-command ceremony at Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province on Friday. (provided by US Forces Korea)

The US Defense Department said there has been “no change” to joint military exercises with South Korea currently scheduled for August, despite calls from some Koreans to adjust the exercises.

“There has been no change to the schedule of our planned training events,” Pentagon spokesperson John Supple was quoted as saying by Radio Free Asia on Saturday.

“Military readiness is a top priority of the Secretary of Defense [Lloyd Austin]. Our combined military training events are a principal method of ensuring our combined alliance readiness,” Supple said.

“These training events are non-provocative, defensive in nature, and are intended to maintain alliance readiness to ensure we are ready to ‘fight tonight’ in order to keep Americans and the people of the Republic of Korea safe,” Supple said, using South Korea’s official name.

On Thursday, 76 lawmakers from South Korea’s ruling Democratic Party and Justice Party said in a statement that “it’s critical at this moment for South Korea and the US to take a proactive approach to bring North Korea to the table for dialogue.”

“The South Korea-US joint military exercises need to be thoughtfully reconsidered since they continue to function as an obstacle to North Korea’s relations to South Korea and to the US,” the lawmakers said in the statement.

“The conditions [the COVID-19 pandemic] don’t permit large numbers of soldiers to hold exercises in person as they did in the past. At a later point, we’ll make a prudent decision about the timing, method, and scope of the joint exercises,” South Korean President Moon Jae-in said on May 26.

If Moon is to make progress in inter-Korean relations before leaving office next year, there needs to be meaningful dialogue between Seoul, Pyongyang, and Washington before the end of the year, at the latest.

North Korea has repeatedly said that the US must revoke its “policy of hostility” toward North Korea, including its joint military exercises with South Korea, before the North will return to dialogue.

“Being ready to fight tonight means maintaining combat capability, creating time and space to enable the diplomatic process, thus preserving options for leaders,” said Gen. Paul LaCamera, new commander of US Forces Korea and the South Korea-US Combined Forces Command, in a speech during the change-of-command ceremony at Camp Humphreys, in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, on Friday.

LaCamera’s remarks seem to imply that exercises are necessary for South Korea and the US’ combined forces to be “ready to fight tonight.”

By Gil Yun-hyung, staff reporter

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