South Korea’s top general said the military must maintain strong readiness, stressing that front-line drills are “naturally necessary.”

Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Jin Young-sung made the statement during his first meeting with reporters after taking office when asked his opinion on Unification Minister Chung Dong-young’s call for the suspension of border exercises as a step towards reviving the 2018 inter-Korean military accord.

Jin argued that building trust is possible only when armed forces are fully prepared and warned the military against laying down its "sharp edge."

Jin said halting the drills was feasible if both Koreas agreed to do so, but that a one-sided suspension was not.

Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back voiced a similar stance last month, when he defended live-fire drills near the maritime Northern Limit Line.

Both officials have underscored that easing tensions requires reciprocity rather than preemptive concessions.