Pentagon: U.S.-South Korea military exercises will not shrink despite potential Kim talks

The Pentagon said Monday that it will launch military exercises alongside South Korean troops beginning April 1 at a scale similar to that of previous years, despite potentially sensitive talks involving President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un that could begin the following month.

The exercises have typically outraged the North Korean regime and were pushed back this year at South Korea’s request until after the Winter Olympic Games and Winter Paralympics in an effort to keep the peace. The U.S. and South Korean governments describe the exercises as routine in nature, but North Korea has generally described it as preparation for war.