Ministry of National Defense Republic of Korea

Korea-U.S. allied KR/FE exercise starting February 24

Government insists on keeping reunion event of families separated by the war on schedule
 
The ROK-U.S. Combined Forces Command will start the allied exercise of Key Resolve and Foal Eagle on February 24.

On February 10, the Combined Command announced the KR/FE exercise schedule, saying that KR and FE, which will last until March 6 and April 18, respectively, was the yearly training to check the Korea-U.S. combined command’s defense capability of Korea.

Related to this, “KR and FE exercises are very important for defensive purposes of the Korean Peninsula. North Korea is well aware of this regular training so it isn’t right to connect it with reunions of families separated by the war,” said MND at the regular briefing.

On the same day, Kim Eyi-do, the Unification Ministry spokesman, also stressed, “KR exercise is a regular and defensive training that is absolutely not relevant to the reunion event. The government must stick to its original agreement with North Korea and proceed with the event as scheduled,”

Also, Commander of the ROK-U.S. Combined Forces Command, Curtis Scaparrotti, said, “The KR exercise is an essential training to strengthen the readiness of the Korea-U.S. alliance, and I personally hope for much from this joint exercise with participants from the Korea-U.S. alliance and the UN dispatch countries. This exercise consists of necessary tasks for the Korean Peninsula defense and practical scenarios possible to respond to any kind of crisis.”

Meanwhile, the KR is an annual CPX (command post exercise) to cope with potential crisis in Korean Peninsula. For this KR exercise, 5,200 American soldiers will participate and 1,100 of them will be reinforced from overseas. On the other hand, FE is an allied and joint FTX (field training exercise) aimed at ground, air, sea, landing and special operations with participants from the ROK-U.S. Combined Forces Command, Korea military, and U.S. armed forces in Korea. In this year’s FE exercise, 7,500 American soldiers, including 5,100 from overseas, and a large number of Korean units will be attending.

“Military strength of this year’s KR/FE exercise shows a similar level of that compared to the past. The KR and FE exercises are held at the same period of time but have quite different characteristics since KR is CPX and FE is a Korea-U.S. joint FTX,” explained an official from U.S. Forces, Korea.

Minister Kim Kwan-jin, “No sign of a nuclear experiment from North Korea on the point”
 
Meanwhile, in response to a question related to preparations for a fourth nuclear experiment of North Korea at a National Assembly hearing in diplomacy, unification and national defense, Minister of National Defense Kim Kwan-jin answered that North Korea has finished preparing for the nuclear experiment around the Punggye-ri region, but there was no sign of an impending experiment.

Minister Kim also noted North Korea’s intention to fire a long-range missile, saying that MND identified the basic preparation process of the missile fire around the Dongchang-ri area and have kept on an eye on it because of the close relation between a long-range missile fire and a nuclear experiment as shown in the last examples.

By Byung Lyuen, Kim < lyuen@dema.mil.kr >
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