[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Jae-hee] Despite North Korea's opposition, the second half joint command post exercise is scheduled to proceed as planned on the 16th.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff officially announced on the 15th, "Considering various circumstances such as the COVID-19 situation, maintaining the combined defense posture, and supporting diplomatic efforts for denuclearization and peace settlement on the Korean Peninsula, the 2021 second half joint command post exercise will be conducted for nine days starting from the 16th."
The exercise is expected to conclude on the 26th, excluding weekends.
The JCS stated, "This exercise is an annual defensive computer simulation-based command post exercise, and there will be no live field maneuver training. Considering the COVID-19 situation, the exercise locations will be dispersed and only essential personnel will participate under strict quarantine guidelines."
Verification of the Full Operational Capability (FOC) of the future Combined Forces Command, which will exercise wartime operational control during this exercise, will not be conducted.
Accordingly, the South Korean military and government plans to determine the timing of the wartime operational control transfer this year have effectively fallen through.
However, the JCS said, "To maintain progress on the transfer of wartime operational control based on conditions agreed upon by both countries during the exercise period, part of the exercise will be conducted under FOC conditions."
It is known that, as in previous exercises, a rehearsal led by the future Combined Forces Command commanded by a four-star general (General) of the South Korean military will be partially included.
There are mixed views that the rehearsal could be an opportunity to enhance the expertise of the FOC verification evaluation team, but concerns also exist that the reduction in exercise participants may disrupt the rehearsal itself.
Only those who have completed COVID-19 vaccination will participate in this exercise, and PCR tests were conducted on participants before the exercise began.
The military is also reportedly committed to thorough quarantine measures such as dispersed command post operations, mask-wearing, and controlling external outings during the exercise period, considering recent breakthrough infections and the spread of variant viruses.
Meanwhile, the last large-scale outdoor live maneuver exercise between South Korea and the U.S. was the Foal Eagle exercise in April 2018. However, North Korea has opposed even the simulation-type joint command post exercises.
Especially, since North Korea has repeatedly protested through statements starting from the crisis management staff exercise, a preliminary drill for the joint exercise held from the 10th to the 13th, attention is focused on North Korea's response during this exercise period.
So far, no particular developments have been reported.
A military official said regarding North Korean military movements, "We are closely monitoring under tight cooperation between South Korea and the U.S., maintaining a firm state of readiness."
With the official announcement of the start of the main joint exercise on this day, the United Nations Command is expected to notify North Korea of the exercise schedule and nature via the direct hotline between North Korea and the UN Command in accordance with customary practice soon.
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