The Defense Ministry said Thursday that ending the South Korea-U.S. joint military exercises cannot be a precondition for dialogue between Washington and Pyongyang.
 
The ministry’s spokesman Kim Min-seok told reporters that the joint drill is an annual event of a defensive nature.
 
Kim’s remarks came shortly after North Korea said the United States must stop joint military exercises with South Korea if it wants to engage in dialogue with Pyongyang.
 
Kim said the joint exercises are necessary to prepare against the North’s provocations, adding that they are akin to a student preparing for a test.
 
Responding to a reporter from the North's Korean Central News Agency on Wednesday, North Korea's Foreign Ministry spokesperson said if the U.S. abandons hostile activities such as the exercises and chooses to walk a different path, then it would be possible to engage in dialogue and resolve many issues.