US - South Korean Military Exercises Set To Continue Next Month, Defying Pyongyang

South Korea's secretary for peace planning told an audience Saturday at the Aspen Security Forum in Colorado that the U.S. and South Korea are still moving ahead with planned joint military exercises in August.

"The nature of the exercise is not offensive … and is for strengthening the alliance," Choi Jong-Kun said at the forum. He also said that Trump has not decided to cancel the exercises.

Reports in March stated that the U.S. military would announce an end to large-scale joint exercises with South Korea every spring.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has said that the exercises are a threat to U.S.-North Korea denuclearization talks. Pyongyang views the exercises as preparation for a potential invasion.

The North Korean Foreign Ministry has said that the exercises are "clearly a breach" of current commitments made last year between the U.S. and North Korea. Pyongyang has threatened missile and nuclear tests as a reaction to the joint military exercises.

"I think we're doing exactly what Trump promised Chairman Kim we would do with respect to those exercises," Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in response to North Korea's claims.

The United States and North Korea have pursued a series of negotiations, where the U.S. would reduce sanctions against North Korea in exchange for the isolated country pursuing a denuclearization process.