South Korea And US launch large-scale military exercises

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Amid heightened tension between Soul and Pyongyang, the US and South Korean militaries started a set of annual drill. Several hundred thousand soldiers are expected to be involved in two months of exercises.

Troops from South Korea and the United States began their annual joint drills to test defense readiness, particularly against North Korea, on Wednesday.

South Korean Defense Minister Han Min-Koo said the scale of this year's "Foal Eagle" exercise would be similar to last year's, which the Defense Ministry had called the "largest-ever" drill involving the two countries. In 2016, over 300,000 Korean soldiers and roughly 17,000 US troops participated in the training exercises. According to the South Korean Defense Ministry and US military based in Korea, the operation will continue until the end of April.

While Washington and Seoul characterized the exercise as purely defensive, North Korea has repeatedly condemned the joint drills as preparations for an attack.


Tension on the Korean peninsula has heightened recently. On February 12, North Korea performed the first ballistic missile test since US President Trump took office. According to the South Korean military, this test showed that the regime in Pyongyang had progressed in its missile capabilities. North Korea - along with the United States but not South Korea - is among the countries worldwide that possess nuclear weapons. In 2016, North Korea had performed two nuclear tests and several missile launches, which have  sparked international outrage.