U.S., South Korea Cancel Military Exercises Amid Coronavirus Spike
A surge in cases of coronavirus on the Korean Peninsula prompted the allies to take the unusual step of canceling planned joint military exercises.
U.S. military helicopters are seen at Camp Humphreys, Feb. 27, 2020, in Pyeongtaek, South Korea.(Hong Ki-won/Yonhap via AP)
The U.S. and South Korea took the significant step late Wednesday of canceling exercises between the two countries' militaries amid the worsening fallout from the coronavirus on the Korean Peninsula.
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The headquarters overseeing U.S. operations on the peninsula did not say when the exercises could resume.
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The news that the allies would cancel the exercises – considered among their most potent tools to deter North Korean aggression in the region – comes amid reports of a spike of 505 new cases of coronavirus in South Korea, bringing the number of people known to carry the virus there up to more than 1,700. Troops in South Korea are currently operating under a "high" risk level as a result of the virus, which causes a disease health officials call COVID-19.
The top clergyman overseeing Catholic services to U.S. service members also announced in a letter late Wednesday that he had canceled the celebration of Mass for troops based in Asia as a way to help contain the spread of the virus, pointing to virtual services as an alternative.
"Just as the church has always stood by those suffering under persecution, so also in this time of a new plague, she wants to be near to her daughters and sons," Timothy P. Broglio, archbishop for the Military Services, wrote in the letter.
U.S. Forces-Korea also reported Tuesday that the first U.S. service member worldwide was confirmed to have contracted the virus – a soldier based at a U.S. facility in southeastern South Korea. Health officials there were tracing his activity in recent weeks to determine who else might have become infected.
South Korea's top generals were the first to suggest the suspension of exercises, U.S. Forces-Korea said in a statement, and their U.S. counterparts agreed.
"The containment efforts for COVID-19 and the safety of the ROK and U.S. service members were prioritized in making this decision," the U.S. headquarters said, using an acronym for South Korea's official name, the Republic of Korea.
The U.S. headquarters has limited the extent to which service members in South Korea and civilian contractors can travel on and off base, including restricting their attending non-essential events with more than 20 people.
The idea of canceling the exercises wrought widespread concern last year when President Donald Trump ordered their suspension as a concession to the North Korean regime of Kim Jong Un.