South Korea could suspend joint US military drills until after PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics

Fears North could interfere in games with missile test or cyber attack

South Korean President Moon Jae-in has suggested joint military drills with the US could be postponed until after the upcoming 2018 Winter Olympics, depending on how North Korea behaves in the run-up to the games.

Pyongyang sees the large scale Seoul-Washington exercises as rehearsals for war, although the participating states insist they are routine and serve as a deterrent against North Korean aggression.

There are concerns the North could attempt to interfere in the the Winter Olympics or the Paralympics – which will run from 9 February to 18 March in the South – either by conducting a missile test or a cyber attack.

“It is possible for South Korea and the US to review the possibility of postponing the exercises,” Mr Moon told US broadcaster NBC.

“I have made such a suggestion to the US and the US is currently reviewing it. However, all this depends on how North Korea behaves.”

Mr Moon also said he would like North Korean athletes to participate in the winter games, which will take place in Pyeongchang, 110 miles east of Seoul.

US-South Korean exercises occur regularly, with the largest held each spring involving around 17,000 US and 300,000 South Korean troops.

The North has offered to pause its nuclear and missile programmes in exchange for the US stopping its joint exercises with the South. Russia and China also back a so-called "dual suspension".

South Korea has invested heavily ahead of the Winter Olympics and has built a $3.4bn (£2.5bn) high-speed train network to take passengers from Seoul airport to the Olympic site.

The smooth running of the games is a priority for the South, but sales for the events have been disappointing, with two-thirds of the 1.1 million tickets still available in mid-November.