Tension mounts ahead of S Korea war games

FEARS are rising that tensions could re-ignite between the US and North Korea over war games in South Korea this week, after Pyongyang warned yesterday that the military exercise was “adding fuel to the fire”.

The annual 10-day “Ulchi-freedom Guardian” joint military exercise between the US and South Korea is routine. It begins today, just days after North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un shelved plans to land four ballistic missiles in the waters around the American Pacific territory of Guam.

North Korea’s backtrack on Guam, after a tense war of words with Washington about its nuclear and missile tests, was conditional. “We are watching every move of the US,” Pyongyang said in a statement.

The drill, expected to involve about 25,000 US troops and 50,000 South Koreans, will mainly use computer simulations. The US insists the exercises are defensive, but Pyongyang views them as a rehearsal for invasion and North Korea experts warn they run the risk of sparking fresh conflict.