No decision yet on annual military exercise with US: defense ministry

South Korea and the United States have not yet decided when and how to conduct an annual summertime exercise, the defense ministry said Monday, after North Korea warned the drills will cloud the future of inter-Korean ties.

On Sunday, Kim Yo-jong, the powerful sister of the North’s leader Kim Jong-un, issued a statement saying that the combined exercise could undermine efforts to improve inter-Korean relations at “such a crucial time” after the long-severed cross-border communication lines were restored last week.

Defense ministry spokesman Boo Seung-chan said when and how to stage the drills have yet to be finalized.