US-South Korea forge ahead with drills amid tensions
SOUTH Korean and US forces began computer-simulated military exercises yesterday amid tension over North Korea’s weapons programmes, while a report Pyongyang has earned millions of dollars in exports is likely to raise doubts about the impact of sanctions.
South Korean President Moon Jae-in said the joint drills, called Ulchi Freedom Guardian, were purely defensive and did not aim to increase tension on the peninsula, but North Korea denounced the exercises as preparation for war.
“There is no intent at all to heighten military tension on the Korean peninsula as these drills are held annually and are of a defensive nature,” Mr Moon told cabinet ministers.
“North Korea should not exaggerate our efforts to keep peace nor should they engage in provocations that would worsen the situation, using (the exercise) as an excuse ,” he said.
The joint US-South Korean drills last until August 31 and involve computer simulations designed to prepare for war with a nuclear-capable North Korea.
The United States also describes them as “defensive in nature”, a term North Korean state media has dismissed as a “deceptive mask”.
“It’s to prepare if something big were to occur and we needed to protect ROK,” said Michelle Thomas, a US military spokeswoman, referring to South Korea by its official name, the Republic of Korea.
Anger
North Korea views such exercises as preparations for invasion and has fired missiles and taken other actions to show its anger over military drills in the past.
“This is aimed to ignite a nuclear war on the Korean peninsula at any cost,” the North’s KCNA news agency said.
“The situation on the Korean peninsula has plunged into a critical phase due to the reckless northtargeted war rack et of the war maniacs.”
North and South Korea are technically still at war after the 1950-1953 Korean War ended with a truce, not a peace treaty.
North Korea’s rapid progress in developing nuclear weapons and missiles capable of reaching the US mainland has fuelled a surge in regional tension and UN-led sanctions appear to have failed to bite deeply enough to change its behaviour.
China, North Korea’s main ally and trading partner, has urged the United States and South Korea to scrap the exercises. Russia has also asked for the drills to stop, but the United States has not backeddown.
Speaking in Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said North and South Korea and the United States all needed to make more effort to ease tension.
“We think that South Korea and the United States holding joint drills is not beneficial to easing current tensions or efforts by all sides to promote talks,” she told a daily news briefing.
‘The situation is critical due to the reckless racket of the war maniacs.’