SEOUL-- The ongoing combined military exercise between South Korea and the United States is "optimal" for preparing for contingencies, Seoul's defense chief said Friday, dismissing concerns that the scaled-down drills would not be enough to maintain a readiness posture.

Seoul and Washington are staging the joint summertime exercise from Monday through next Thursday. The computer-simulated exercise does not include outdoor drills and involves a smaller number of service members than previous ones amid the COVID-19 pandemic and peace efforts involving North Korea.

"The exercise under way by the Combined Forces Command, the Joint Chiefs of Staff and component commands may be seen as troops doing computer games, but it is being taken under the scenarios very close to real war situations," Minister Suh Wook said during a parliamentary session.

"Despite unfavorable conditions due to COVID-19, we organized this exercise by making utmost efforts in coordination with the health authorities," Suh said. "What we are doing is the optimum way of being prepared for a war."

Critics and some opposition lawmakers have claimed that such scaled-back exercises without outdoor drills will badly affect the combined defense posture, criticizing the government for caring about North Korea too much.

Pyongyang has long bristled at the South Korea-U.S. combined exercises, calling them a rehearsal for invasion. Last week, it lambasted the two nations and warned of a "serious security crisis."

Since 2019, their major combined exercises, which usually take place twice a year, have not included outdoor drills. The defense ministry has said that outdoor maneuvers have been carried out throughout the year rather than being done intensively at a specific period of time.

Source: Yonhap News Agency