At the request of South Korean President Moon Jae-in, President Trump agreed Thursday to delay regular joint military exercises during the Winter Games in South Korea next month, the Yonhap news agency reports.
The agreement came in a phone conversation between the two leaders, according to the South Korean news agency.
The Pentagon and White House confirmed the decision to delay the annual exercises, which North Korea regular denounces as a provocation.
In a press release, the White House confirmed the leaders agreed to "de-conflict the Olympics and our military exercises so that United States and Republic of Korea forces can focus on ensuring the security of the Games."
The Winter Olympics will be held in South Korea from Feb. 9 to Feb. 25, with the Paralympics on March 8-18.
The deal follows a slight warming in relations between Seoul and Pyongyang, which says it may send athletes to the games The two countries also spoke on a cross-border hotline this week for the first time in two years.
"I believe it would greatly help ensure the success of the PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games if you could express an intention to delay joint South Korea-U.S. military exercises during the Olympics in case the North does not make any more provocations," Moon was quoted as telling Trump, according to Yonhap.
The two allies usually hold military exercises in March and April that involve about 17,000 U.S. troops and more than 300,000 South Koreans.
The agreement also comes after weeks of rising tension over North Korea's nuclear weapons program and its testing of long-range ballistic missiles capable of hittng the U.S. mainland.
This week, Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un traded Twitter barbs over their nuclear programs, with Trump saying his "Nuclear Button" was "much bigger" and "more powerful" than the one Kim claimed to have.
In a New Year's Day speech, Kim had boasted he had a "nuclear button" ready to launch weapons against the United States, and proposed negotiations with South Korea about easing military tensions and its possible participation in the upcoming Winter Games.
The prospect of North Korean athletes at the Games has stirred criticism among some Republicans.
The United States and South Korea have agreed to delay an annual joint military exercise that was scheduled to take place during the Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, according to South Korean media.
President Trump and South Korean President Moon Jae-in agreed to the delay during a Thursday phone call, according to the Yonhap news agency, which cited the South Korean presidential office.
“I believe it would greatly help ensure the success of the PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games if you could express an intention to delay joint South Korea-U.S. military exercises during the Olympics in case the North does not make any more provocations," Moon reportedly told Trump.
South Korea looked to delay the drill, known as Foal Eagle, so as not to increase tensions with North Korea when athletes from around the world converge on the peninsula to compete in the Winter Olympics next month.
Joint U.S.-South Korea military exercises, which Pyongyang considers rehearsals for invasion, are typically a time of heightened tensions on the peninsula, with North Korea often conducting missile tests in response.
The decision to delay Foal Eagle, one of the largest war games in the world, comes after North and South Korea have expressed a new openness for high-level talks. For now, the sides say the talks would focus only on allowing North Korea to participate in the Olympics, a shift which has been met with skepticism by some in the U.S.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., tweeted on Monday.that allowing North Korea to participate in the Olympics would give legitimacy to the most illegitimate regime on the planet."
"I’m confident South Korea will reject this absurd overture and fully believe that if North Korea goes to the Winter Olympics, we do not," he wrote.
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