With so much attention on the nuclear crisis in North Korea, the upcoming Winter Olympics in South Korea has been approaching quietly. Now, with less than eight weeks until the opening ceremony, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has said the U.S. is committed to continuing its scheduled military drills in the region, despite recent requests by South Korean President Moon Jae-in to postpone the drills until competitions end in March.
“It is possible for South Korea and the U.S. to review the possibility of postponing the exercises,” President Moon Jae-in said. “I’ve made such a suggestion to the U.S., and the U.S. is currently reviewing it. However, all this depends on how North Korea behaves,” he added.
Tillerson, however, said he was not aware of any plans to postpone the “long-standing, scheduled and regular” exercises between the two countries.
“They’re carried out on a scheduled basis. We announce them in advance. There’s nothing surprising about them, and I’m not aware of any plans to change what is scheduled,” Tillerson said on Tuesday during a press conference in Ontario.
The 2018 Winter Olympics start Feb. 9 in Pyeongchang, about 50 miles southeast of the DMZ. Earlier this month, South Korea security forces conducted a series of anti-terror drills to prepare against potential attacks, ranging from hostage situations to bomb-strapped drones. Pyeongchang’s organizing committee for the 2018 Games has also hired a private cyber security company to guard against any hacking attacks from the North, according to Reuters.
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