The resumption of major US-South Korea joint military exercises is not "necessary", Pentagon chief Patrick Shanahan told reporters Sunday, despite stalled negotiations between Washington and Pyongyang.
Washington regularly conducted large-scale military manoeuvers with the South Korean army until the first meeting of US President Donald Trump with North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un last year.
They were suspended at Trump's request to facilitate dialogue with Pyongyang and replaced by more limited exercises, but negotiations on the North Korean nuclear program have since stalled.
Asked on Sunday whether the exercises would resume, Shanahan replied: "I don't think it is necessary."