Reuters, Posted at www.abs-cbnnews.com, Sept. 18, 2008
SEOUL � South Korean and U.S. forces started
annual military drills on Monday denounced by
North Korea as a prelude to war, with Pyongyang
previously saying they spoiled the prospects for
nuclear disarmament talks.
The drills, called Ulchi Freedom Guardian, last
until Friday and come as envoys in talks on ending
the North's nuclear arms program discuss a
mechanism to verify claims Pyongyang made about
its production of arms-grade plutonium.
About 56,000 South Korean troops and 10,000 U.S.
troops will joint the exercises that test
communication, computer and command systems, South
Korean military officials have told local media.
South Korean President Lee Myung-bak on Monday led
a meeting of his National Security Council in a
secure basement bunker of the presidential Blue
House as part of the drill, officials said.
"In our relationship with the North, there always
exists the possibility of localized conflict,
so we cannot afford to loosen our readiness," Lee was
quoted as saying by Blue House officials.
North Korea's official media on Monday said the
drills were intended "to start a new war on the
peninsula and stifle the North with force."
Last month, the North's KCNA news agency said of
the drills: "It is quite nonsensical for the U.S.
to offer a handshake to its dialogue partner,
while holding a dagger in its other hand."
The United States has about 27,000 soldiers in
South Korea to support the country's 670,000
troops. North Korea positions most of it 1.2
million troops near the border with the South.
