--- description: The U.S. and South Korea held combined military exercises on Monday for the first time since the drills were suspended earlier this year title: U.S. and South Korea Hold First Military Drills Since June image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1d2b12b72d15ac86/69893e3ddb29871e0126119e/gettyimages-945149578.jpg?branch=production&width=2400&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [South Korea](/tag/south-korea/) ## South Korea Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # U.S. and South Korea Resume Military Drills Ahead of Denuclearization Talks With North Korea by [Eli Meixler](/author/eli/) ## Eli Meixler Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Nov 5, 2018 9:17 AM CUT  U.S.-KOR Combine Forces take part in an annual best warrior competition at U.S. military base Camp Casey in Dongducheon, South Korea on April 12, 2018. U.S.-KOR Combine Forces take part in an annual best warrior competition at U.S. military base Camp Casey in Dongducheon, South Korea on April 12, 2018.Seung-il Ryu—NurPhoto/Getty Images by [Eli Meixler](/author/eli/) ## Eli Meixler Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Nov 5, 2018 9:17 AM CUT The U.S. and South Korea resumed [combined military exercises](http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/news/2018/11/05/0200000000AEN20181105005700315.html "undefined") on Monday for the first time since the trainings were suspended earlier this year. The drills, which have long been a source of irritation for North Korea, come just days before Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is set to hold high-profile nuclear talks with the pariah state. The maritime drills, which opened Monday, will reportedly last two weeks in the southern Korean city of Pohang and will involve [approximately 500 soldiers](http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/news/2018/11/04/0200000000AEN20181104001400315.html "undefined"), including U.S. marines stationed in Japan, Yonhap News Agency reports. As a concession to Pyongyang, President Donald Trump indefinitely suspended regular U.S.-South Korean drills in the wake of his [landmark summit](http://time.com/5309069/donald-trump-kim-jong-un-meet-summit/ "undefined") with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Singapore in June. Trump called the drills “[tremendously expensive](http://time.com/5309627/president-trump-why-war-games-end/ "undefined")” and “very provocative.” But Defense Secretary Jim Mattis has since said that the U.S. has [“no plans”](http://time.com/5381205/jim-mattis-south-korea-war-drills/ "undefined") to hold back on future drills. The exercises this week could impact [upcoming talks](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/nov/05/south-korea-and-us-resume-military-drills-ahead-of-nuclear-talks "undefined") scheduled this week between Secretary Pompeo and top North Korean adviser [Kim Yong Chol](http://time.com/5292956/kim-yong-chol-north-korea/ "undefined"), the _Guardian_ reports. Speaking on CBS’ _Face the Nation_ on Sunday, Pompeo said he expected to the discussions to make “[real progress](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/transcript-secretary-of-state-mike-pompeo-on-face-the-nation-november-4-2018/ "undefined")” and lay the groundwork for “substantial steps towards denuclearization” at a planned [second Trump-Kim summit](http://time.com/5418087/trump-kim-jong-un-meeting-north-korea/ "undefined"). But North Korea has previously lashed out against the U.S.-South Korean operations, which it views as rehearsals for a potential invasion. In August, an editorial in North Korea’s _Rodong Sinmun_ newspaper [accused American negotiators](http://time.com/5378821/north-korea-mike-pompeo-double-dealing/ "undefined") of “double-dealing attitudes,” alleging the U.S. was “busy staging secret drills…while having a dialogue with a smile on its face.” “Such acts prove that the U.S. is hatching a criminal plot to unleash a war against the DPRK,” the editorial said. **Read more:** [_I Was an Admiral. Why Trump Ending ‘War Games’ Is a Mistake_](http://time.com/5310534/donald-trump-north-korea-war-games-military-exercises/ "undefined") On Friday, North Korea’s Foreign Ministry [threatened](http://time.com/5444027/north-korea-nuclear-sanctions-us/ "undefined") to restart its nuclear weapons program if the U.S. failed to ease economic sanctions. Some experts contend that little progress has been made towards denuclearization since the Singapore summit in June. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5444586/us-south-korea-resume-military-drills/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5444586/us-south-korea-resume-military-drills/"},"headline":"U.S. and South Korea Resume Military Drills Ahead of Denuclearization Talks With North Korea","datePublished":"2018-11-05T09:17:17.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T21:56:12.502Z","description":"The maritime drills come as Secretary of State Mike Pompeo prepares for talks with North Korea","url":"https://time.com/5444586/us-south-korea-resume-military-drills/","keywords":["South Korea","onetime","overnight"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1d2b12b72d15ac86/69893e3ddb29871e0126119e/gettyimages-945149578.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Eli Meixler","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/eli/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1d2b12b72d15ac86/69893e3ddb29871e0126119e/gettyimages-945149578.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Annual Best Warrior competition at U.S. military base in Dongducheon","caption":"Annual Best Warrior competition at U.S. military base in Dongducheon","creditText":"Seung-il Ryu—NurPhoto/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/south-korea/","name":"South Korea"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5444586/us-south-korea-resume-military-drills/","name":"U.S. and South Korea Resume Military Drills Ahead of Denuclearization Talks With North Korea"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Jim Mattis Says the U.S. Won't Suspend More Military Drills With South Korea","description":"The U.S. doesn’t plan to suspend more joint military drills with South Korean forces, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said, amid reports that North Korea was rejecting American demands for Kim Jong Un to give up his nuclear warheads.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/EUB285EF/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2018-08-29T02:33:03.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/EUB285EF.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/5444586/us-south-korea-resume-military-drills/","duration":"PT26S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/5444586/us-south-korea-resume-military-drills/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```