Washington, Nov 22 (IANS): US Defence Secretary James Mattis has said that the joint military exercises between Washington and Seoul scheduled for early next year would be reorganised.

Foal Eagle, the code name of the annual joint military drills, "is being reorganised a bit to keep it at a level that will not be harmful to diplomacy", Mattis told the media on Wednesday, indicating that the drills might be reduced in scope.

"We continue to look at multiple aspects of future exercises to include their size and scope," Xinhua news agency quoted Chris Logan, a Pentagon spokesperson, as saying.

Logan also said Mattis and South Korean Defence Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo agreed during talks last month to conduct military activities, including exercises, in a way that complemented diplomatic efforts on the denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula and sustained the readiness of the allied forces.

This initiative could be seen as an embodiment that Washington and Seoul seek to mitigate tension on the Korean Peninsula.