South Korea and the United States have kicked off a preliminary joint training on Tuesday ahead of the annual summertime military exercise next week.

According to multiple sources in the military and government, the allies will hold a four-day crisis management training from Tuesday to Friday. 

The training will check the response to unexpected crisis situations such as terror attacks or provocation, focusing on preventing the situation from escalating into war. 

Led by the Joint Chiefs of Staff, it is not included in the official exercise, but the annual summertime joint drill denounced as a war rehearsal by North Korea has effectively started.  

This year's training will reportedly involve a minimum level of troops, even smaller than the springtime exercise, amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The computer-simulated Combined Command Post Training, the main summertime military exercise, is set for next Monday through August 26.