Anchor: U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis said Tuesday that the U.S. military has no plans to suspend any more major military drills with South Korea. His remarks come as diplomacy on North Korea’s denuclearization has hit a stalemate, following President Donald Trump’s abrupt cancellation of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's planned trip to North Korea.
Our Park Jong-hong has this report.

Report: 

[Sound bite: US Secretary of Defense James Mattis]
(Reporter: Is it time to restart the exercises with South Korea given the recent news that North Korea is not denuclearizing?)
"Let me just talk about the policy of the suspension of the exercises on the Korean Peninsula. As you know... "

During a news briefing at the Pentagon on Tuesday, U.S. Secretary of Defense James Mattis indicated that his troops may resume military drills with South Korea.  

[Sound bite: US Secretary of Defense James Mattis]
“We took the step to suspend several of the largest exercises as a good-faith measure coming out of the Singapore summit. We have no plans at this time to suspend any more exercises.”

Mattis had "indefinitely suspended" military exercises with South Korea as President Donald Trump said he would stop the "war games" following his meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Singapore in June.

[Sound bite: US Secretary of Defense James Mattis]
(Reporter: What does that mean in real terms? When is the next exercise?)
"Remember... what we did when we suspended the exercises, we suspended several of the largest exercises but we did not suspend the rest. So, there are ongoing exercises all the time on the peninsula."

The announcement comes at a time when the North is facing criticism for dragging its feet on all-out denuclearization.

The stepped-up pressure coincided with comments from U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who suggested that dismantling the North's nuclear arsenal will be a long process. 

On Tuesday, Pompeo remarked on the cancellation of his trip to the North for the first time since Trump called it off on Friday. 

In a message issued by his spokeswoman, Pompeo said America stands ready to engage when it is clear that Kim Jong-un is ready to deliver on the commitments he made at the Singapore summit. 

Nevertheless, Pompeo used the term "delay" to describe his canceled journey, keeping the door open for a trip to Pyongyang in the future. 
Park Jong-hong, KBS World Radio News.

[Photo : YONHAP News]