U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE DAILY PRESS BRIEFING DPB #84 MONDAY, AUGUST 21, 2000, 12:45 P.M. (ON THE RECORD UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED) QUESTION: Korea? There are simulated exercises, but they're exercises that the US conducts with South Korea and they've been scaled down. The North Koreans are saying they should be called off or else it could affect reconciliation between the two Koreas. Does the US have an opinion and would you cover whether such activities 50 years after the Korean War, in light of what's going on between the two Koreas, still makes sense? MR. BOUCHER: Yes. QUESTION: They still make sense? MR. BOUCHER: Yes. QUESTION: Nothing ever ends, right? Korean Conflict - MR. BOUCHER: Well, I don't know, let's deal with the specific and go to the general. Ulchi Focus Lens is an exercise. It is routine. It is a regularly scheduled exercise. It is designed to evaluate combined and joint coordination, our procedures, plans and systems to conduct a contingency operation by the US and South Korean forces. The Pentagon obviously can give you more details on the actual exercise. It is not a provocative exercise. We would note that the North Koreans have also been conducting military exercises this summer. And while we welcome the growing dialogue between North and South Korea and the improved atmosphere for cooperation, we do hope that this will lead to a reduction in tensions. But at the moment, there is no significant change in the military situation on the Peninsula. Our forces remain there in cooperation with our South Korean allies. They tell us they want us to stay and we continue to work there in cooperation with them. QUESTION: And I take it the US doesn't feel it should have any impact on the progress in Korean reconciliation? MR. BOUCHER: No, we do not. As I said, we have seen this progress. This is not a provocative exercise. North Koreans have held military exercises as well and that hasn't impeded the progress. So we would hope to see the progress continue and lead to the kind of reductions in tension that we're all working for. QUESTION: Can you say that the South Koreans are as enthusiastic about these exercises as they once were, as the US still is? MR. BOUCHER: This is something we do in cooperation with the South Koreans. We do them together, to exercise our joint capability. So, I don't think there is any distance between us on this. QUESTION: Has there been any talk on the South Korean part about maybe even further scaling them down or ending them? MR. BOUCHER: These things are decided, their nature, their scope, the conduct of the exercise, it is decided jointly. We are doing what we and the South Koreans believe is appropriate. (The briefing concluded at 1:15 p.m.)
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