The coronavirus outbreak will likely affect the South Korea-U.S. combined military exercises scheduled for next month.
Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo and U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper hinted at this possibility while meeting in Washington, D.C.
In a joint news conference at the Pentagon, Esper said the two sides are considering scaling back the command post training due to concerns over coronavirus and that related discussions were underway.
Minister Jeong said that preparations for the drills have been taking place as normal, but an adjustment may be inevitable amid the spread of the outbreak.
Separately, the U.S. defense chief also pressured Seoul to increase its defense cost contribution. He said that as a global economic powerhouse, South Korea can and should contribute more to its own defense.
Esper said the current Special Measures Agreement captures only a portion of the overall cost associated with the U.S.' defense of South Korea.
Meanwhile Jeong acknowledged the possibility that Korea's defense cost could be raised by a larger increase than last year. However, he said should negotiations be delayed, the allies will be able to exercise flexibility and prevent the worst case scenario of laying off workers.