The South Korean government stressed that Seoul and Washington's combined military exercise, under no circumstance, should be an opportunity to heighten military tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

This comes after Kim Yo-jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, threatened to scrap an inter-Korean military deal and break up the North's ruling party organs that handle inter-Korean dialogue in response to the allies' ongoing training.

An official from the Unification Ministry said on Tuesday that Seoul will continue to make efforts to ensure that the joint military drills are carried out in a way that supports the peninsula's peace process.

The official added that Seoul stands by its position that inter-Korean relations should improve and denuclearization talks should resume as soon as possible. Additionally, efforts toward dialogue and cooperation must continue.

The Defense Ministry also called for the two Koreas to resolve issues through dialogue, stressing that the military drills are annually conducted and defensive in nature.