New Exercises Planned As Joint Drills With U.S. Pared Down

South Korea will launch a new civil-military exercise in May as it revamps its training schedule in support of peace efforts with North Korea, reports the Yonhap news agency (Seoul). 

The Ulchi Taegeuk exercise will run from May 27 to May 30, a government source said on Wednesday. 

The exercise will combine the Taegeuk command-post drill and the Ulchi government war game, which is part of the Ulchi Freedom Guardian (UFG) training with the U.S.

The drill will focus on responding to contingencies such as armed attack, terrorist strikes and major natural disasters. 

The long-running Ulchi Freedom Guardian exercise is expected to be abolished as part of efforts to reduce tensions with Pyongyang. 

The drill was suspended last year as ties warmed. 

The U.S. and South Korea may set up a separate joint command-post exercise in August as part of the program to verify that Seoul has acquired an initial capability to retake wartime operational control of its forces. Once certified, the allies will work to verify South Korea's full operational and mission-control capabilities.