US, S/Korea begin war games amid N/Korean threats

The United States and South Korea began a series of annual joint military exercises Saturday, after days of threats by North Korea that it will retaliate if the war games turn into an attack – threats generally made each year. The annual U.S. and South Korean exercises last eight weeks and are meticulously planned. Saturday’s […]

The United States and South Korea began a series of annual joint military exercises Saturday, after days of threats by North Korea that it will retaliate if the war games turn into an attack – threats generally made each year.
The annual U.S. and South Korean exercises last eight weeks and are meticulously planned. Saturday’s activities began with U.S. and South Korean troops in assault vehicles storming a beach on South Korea’s east coast.
South Korea’s Defense Ministry is calling the exercises “the largest-scale ever,” with 300,000 South Korean and at least 17,000 U.S. troops participating.
A U.S. statement released before the exercises began said about 55 U.S. Marine aircraft and 30 U.S. and South Korean ships are taking part in the war games near Pohang City.
North Korea’s military has said it is prepared to counter the U.S. and South Korean forces “with an ultra-precision blitzkrieg strike of the Korean style.”
In response, South Korea’s Defense Ministry has warned Pyongyang against “rash behavior” and “provocations.”