Joint computer-simulated “command post training” between the U.S. and South Korean forces scheduled to take place this spring has been postponed due to increasing concerns over the spread of the novel coronavirus in the South, the Combined Forces Command (CFC) announced Thursday.

The two sides “agreed to postpone the training based on the severity of the present COVID-19 situation within South Korea,” the CFC Public Affairs Office said in a statement. 

The primary reason for the decision was “in light of the ROK government’s declaration of the highest alert level ‘severe’ on COVID-19,” it said, referencing South Korean President Moon Jae-in’s announcement on Sunday.

No specific time period for the postponement was mentioned, however, with CFC saying only it will be delayed “until further notice.”

North Korea was also not specifically mentioned, though the statement said that “despite the postponement of combined training, the ROK-US alliance remains committed to providing a credible military deterrence and maintaining a robust combined defense posture to protect the ROK against any threat.”

The news follows a meeting in Washington on Monday between U.S. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper and his South Korean counterpart Jeong Kyeong-doo, where Esper previewed a possible delay in the drills due to the coronavirus.

The number of people infected with the COVID-19 in South Korea officially stood at 1,595 as of midday Thursday, according to official numbers from the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC).

This includes a single U.S. service member of U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) stationed at Camp Carroll just north of Daegu, the South Korean city hardest hit by the virus, with over 1,000 total now infected.

USFK announced on Wednesday that the patient is a 23-year-old male who “is currently in self quarantine at his off-base residence,” after having also visited Camp Walker inside Daegu on February 24. 

Last year, the computer-simulated command post exercises (CPX) — sometimes, but not officially, named “Dong Maeng” meaning “alliance” — replaced the annual Foal Eagle field training exercises and Key Resolve CPX typically held in March and April.

The CPX, set for this spring, had not been officially named and dates had not been officially announced, but a South Korean military official said in January they may again be adjusted depending upon progress in U.S.-North Korea negotiations.

Talks between the two sides remain stalled, however, and it is unclear if adjustments to the military exercises would be enough to be considered a concession by North Korea.

North Korean state media in March last year, just after the CFC made the announcement, condemned the new plan for CPX training replacing the field exercises.

Edited by Oliver Hotham