(CNN) -- South Korea and the United States postponed joint anti-submarine military exercises due to an approaching tropical storm, U.S. Forces Korea said.
The exercises were scheduled to begin Sunday and run through Thursday, the forces said in a statement. Tropical Storm Malou is forecast to arrive in the region Monday.
Military officials said the exercise could have gone ahead despite the weather, but safety concerns prompted the postponement.
"Although the alliance is capable of operating in all weather conditions, this decision was made in the interest of safety for the participants," the U.S. military said in its statement. "Both high winds and heavy seas would have directly impacted the exercise area and the training objectives".
The exercises will be rescheduled but a new date has not been set, the statement said.
U.S. officials have said the naval exercises off the western coast of the Korean peninsula are in response to North Korea's alleged sinking of a South Korean warship last March.
CNN
