US, South Korea start joint military drills

> North views exercises as rehearsal for invasion

SEOUL: Seoul and Washington began annual war games yesterday, with South Korean President Moon Jae-In warning the North not to use them as an excuse to perpetuate the “vicious cycle” of tensions.

Tens of thousands of South Korean and US troops are taking part in the Ulchi Freedom Guardian joint military drills, a largely computer-simulated exercise that runs for two weeks in the South.

The drills are viewed by Pyongyang as a highly provocative rehearsal for invasion, and it always meets them with threats of strong military counteraction.

Only weeks ago it said it was considering firing a salvo of missiles towards the US Pacific territory of Guam.

Moon described the exercises as “purely defensive in nature” and warned the North it “must not use it as an excuse to launch provocations that will worsen the situation”.

“North Korea must understand its repeated provocations are what is forcing South Korea and the US to conduct the joint defensive drills, which in turn, keeps the vicious cycle going,” Moon told a cabinet meeting.

Pyongyang tested two intercontinental ballistic missiles last month that appeared to bring much of the US within range, which sparked a grim warning by President Donald Trump that Washington could rain “fire and fury” on the North.

Kim Jong-Un last week delayed the Guam strike plan, but warned it could go ahead depending on the next US move.

While the allies are pushing ahead with the exercises that date back to 1976, around 17,500 US troops will participate in the drills – a cutback from last year.

South Korean reports have said the US was considering scrapping a plan to bring in two aircraft carriers to the peninsula.

But US defence secretary James Mattis said on Sunday the smaller troop numbers were “by design to achieve the exercise objectives”, denying suggestions Washington had cut them back to try to ease tensions with Pyongyang.

“This right now is an exercise to make certain that we’re ready to defend South Korea and our allies over there,” Mattis said aboard an aircraft flying to Jordan. – AFP

... Middle school freshmen take part in military training in Hangzhou, capital of China’s Zhejiang province, last week.

AFPPIX Protesters hold placards that read ‘stop war exercise’ during a rally denouncing the annual military event near the US embassy in Seoul yesterday.