President Lee Jae-myung said South Korea could consider scaling back or postponing joint military exercises with the U.S. on Monday, but only as part of broader efforts to reduce tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

Lee emphasized that “North Korea is highly sensitive” to such exercises, speaking to reporters during an in-flight press conference en route to Turkey.

“Some have suggested preemptively reviewing the scale or timing of our drills, but it is difficult to predict what direction this will take under the current circumstances,” he said.

Lee emphasized that a “fully established peace regime” (평화체제) between the two Koreas would