The South Korean military is delaying plans to deploy a first batch of new F-35A stealth fighter jets warfare-ready until the second half of this year, a spokesman said Tuesday.

"A ceremony had been planned to deploy them warfare-ready before June, but the schedule is being delayed," the spokesman said. "It will highly likely be held after July."

Two of the fighter jets were delivered from a plant in the U.S. to an air base in Cheongju in March.

"Normally the date for such ceremony is arranged depending on the defense minister's schedule and other situations," the spokesman added. "When we bought F-15K fighter jets in the past, we held the ceremony several months after we took the delivery of the first batch."

