An estimated 25,000 American troops are joining in the “Ulchi Freedom Guardian exercise” which is underway until Sept 2.
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Although they are largely computer-simulated, the training drills still involve 25,000 USA troops and 50,000 South Korean soldiers.
China signed off on a list of United Nations sanctions against North Korea earlier this year in response to its fourth nuclear weapons test, but has been dragging its feet on their implementation, Haggard said.
Tension is already heightened on the peninsula after the defection of a Pyongyang diplomat.
Notably, the Ministry of Unification (MoU) also warned of the possibility of North Korean acts against South Korean citizens, especially during the period of the joint drills.
Deputy ambassador Thae Yong Ho fled the Gunnersbury Avenue building recently and defected to South Korea with his wife and child, after he was reportedly angry with leader Kim Jong-un’s regime.
Since then, Pyongyang has shut down two existing hotlines with South Korea – one used by the military and one for government-to-government communications.
The US-led command centre said it told North Korea the exercises were “non-provocative” in nature.
South Korean and USA forces kicked off their joint annual war game on Monday despite strong a backlash from North Korea.
As the exercise began, South Korean President Park Geun-Hye said the defections signaled domestic turmoil in Pyongyang that could cause North Korea to lash out. North Korea sent a group of delegates to the funeral.
The defections signal a “serious fracture” within the North Korea’s regime, escalating the prospects of provocation as Kim tries to maintain control, Park said.
A South Korean army tank takes part in a military exercise near the demilitarized zone separating the two Koreas in Paju, South Korea, August 22, 2016.
KCNA didn’t identify Thae by name, but said North Korea had ordered the “fugitive” who had worked at the embassy in Britain to return to the North in June to be investigated for a series of crimes, including embezzling government funds, leaking state secrets and sexually assaulting a minor. However, the actual retaliation to South Korea-US military drills has largely been restricted to firing ballistic missiles into the sea.
The warning came in a statement by the North Korean People’s Army and released through the state-run Korean Central News Agency.
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Thae’s defection followed the flight to Seoul this year of 12 waitresses from a North Korean restaurant in China.
