Seoul, US start joint military exercises

SEOUL: South Korea and the United States began their annual joint military exercise yesterday amid heightened tensions with North Korea following its latest test-firing of ballistic missiles.

The two-week exercise, known as Key Resolve, comes after North Korea on March 6 launched four ballistic missiles in Japan’s direction simultaneously in violation of UN Security Council resolutions.

The computer-simulated command post exercise, which will run through March 24, aims to warn North Korea against further provocations.

The two allies are also conducting a separate exercise, called Foal Eagle, from March 1 to late April. Foal Eagle is a field training exercise involving ground, air and naval forces and this year’s drill is the largest ever.

While North Korea has slammed the joint drills as a rehearsal for invasion and threatened to take military action, South Korea and the US maintain the exercises are defensive in nature. Yonhap News Agency, meanwhile, reported that South Korea’s Air Force said yesterday it is conducting a week-long air combat exercise to increase its readiness to counter North Korean threats. This exercise, known as Soaring Eagle, aims to enhance the ability to shoot down enemy missiles and strike core military facilities in North Korea, according to Yonhap. It has been held twice a year since 2008.

The South Korean and US forces are also expected to carry out a missile defence-related exercise with the simulated operation of the advanced US missile defence system, which is to be deployed in the South Korean town of Seongju in North Gyeongsang province.