Seoul and Washington are apparently negotiating the timing, scale and exact location of a joint military drill in the West Sea after a UN Security Council statement Friday failed to condemn North Korea for sinking the South Korean Navy corvette Cheonan in March.

And the White House, Pentagon and State Department are weighing the pros and cons of allowing the aircraft carrier George Washington to participate in the drill. One option is for the carrier to stay off the coast of Busan or anchored in Busan harbor and assist in operations from there rather than taking part directly. "The George Washington will not enter Korean waters within a few days," said one military source, hinting that it could remain in the open sea.

Given Chinese protests against a massive U.S. military presence on its doorstep, the two allies are considering restricting the exercise to waters south of the Taean Peninsula without venturing further north.

Meanwhile, the South Korean government and military are looking into various scenarios for resuming propaganda broadcasts against North Korea and sending anti-communist leaflets to the North, which they had planned to do in response to the sinking. "Since the UN Security Council has adopted a presidential statement, we plan to start talks soon with the UN Command about the resumption of propaganda broadcasts. There is a good chance a decision will be made this week," a Defense Ministry official said.