The defense ministry has said there are no changes to the scale or schedule of the Ulchi Freedom Shield joint military exercise with the United States, set for next month.

At a regular press briefing Tuesday, spokesperson Lee Kyung-ho said the drills are conducted annually based on mutual agreement and that no modifications have been made thus far.

The statement comes after newly appointed Unification Minister Chung Dong-young said Monday that he may recommend to President Lee Jae Myung that the exercise be adjusted.

When asked whether the drills could be altered in the case of such a government directive, the ministry said it would need to monitor future developments.

The U.S. and South Korea have traditionally held large-scale joint exercises in March and August, although they were significantly scaled down in 2018 due to inter-Korean and North Korea-U.S. summits, and again in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.