The navies of South Korea and the United States postponed a five-day military exercise in the Yellow Sea shortly before it was to start on Sunday. The official reason given was an approaching typhoon.
"Although the alliance is capable of operating in all weather conditions, this decision was made in the interest of safety for the participants," the US forces in Korea said in a statement Saturday.
The anti-submarine exercise would have been the second in a series the two sides announced as a reaction to the sinking of a South Korean warship close to North Korean waters.
There has been increased tension on the Korean Peninsula since the Cheonan went down on March 26 with the loss of 46 lives. A South Korean-led international investigative team said it believed North Korea was responsible for the incident, a charge Pyongyang denied. The new military drill was intended to send a signal of deterrence to North Korea, the South Koreans said. The South Korean and US navies held a large-scale exercise in the Sea of Japan in July and joint land-based war games in August.
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