Update at 1905 KST: this article has been updated to include mention of a foreign ministry statement issued on Sunday.

South Korea and the U.S. have decided to postpone a series of joint air combat military drills scheduled to take place this month, the two countries’ defense ministers said on Sunday, in a decision intended to facilitate long-stalled negotiations with North Korea over its nuclear program.

In a move announced following a series of meetings in Bangkok, U.S. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper, speaking alongside his South Korean counterpart Jeong Kyeong-doo, denied the decision represented a “concession” to North Korea.

“We