(CNN) They were put on hold to avoid inflaming tensions on the Korean peninsula, but defense officials said Tuesday that joint military drills between the US and South Korea are back on and will take place on April 1.

While the two nations said the exercises would be similar in scale to those of previous years, the drills, as stipulated in a joint statement, appear to be occurring within a shorter timeframe.

The "Foal Eagle and Key Resolve" drills would begin on April 1 for four weeks, both countries said in a statement. Last year, Foal Eagle began on March 1 and continued until the end of April, lasting a total of two months.

Additionally, the shorter timeframe indicates that the drills might be over by the time US President Donald Trump meets with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. The two are set for a historic meeting sometime before the end of May.

"Secretary of Defense James N. Mattis and the Republic of Korea Minister of National Defense Song Young-moo have agreed to resume the annual combined exercises including Foal Eagle and Key Resolve which were de-conflicted with the schedule of the Olympic Games. The exercises are expected to resume April 1, 2018, at a scale similar to that of the previous years," Pentagon spokesman Col. Rob Manning said in a statement issued late Monday.

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