U.S. - South Korea Begin Joint Large Scale Drills

South Korean military drills (Yonhap)

The United States and South Korea began the annual military exercises on Monday despite ongoing threats from North Korea, the Yonhap news agency said.

The drills, headlined The Key Resolve, will continue until
March 9. It will involve about 200,000 South Korean troops and 2,100 U.S. servicemen. Australia, Canada, Denmark, Norway and Britain will take part in the Key Resolve as observers.

M1 Abrams tanks, like the ones shown here, were part of the track vehicles issued by the Army Field Support Battalion-Northeast Asia to participate in Foal Eagle '11, a joint live-fire exercise between U.S. and Republic of Korea forces. AFSBn-NEA, a subordinate unit of the Army Sustainment Command's 403rd Army Field Support Brigade, issued more than 90 track and wheeled vehicles from Army Prepositioned Stocks-4 inventory as a part of the exercise.

Separately from the Key Resolve, another joint exercise, the Foal Eagle, will take place from March 1 to April 30, involving about 11,000 U.S. forces plus South Korean troops.

Over the weekend Pyongyang warned it was ready to launch a "sacred war" against South Korea and the U.S.

On Monday, North Korea accused the two allies of being "poised for a war carrying nuclear war equipment" and dubbed the South and the U.S. "warmongers."

Pyongyang also described the exercises as "an unpardonable infringement upon the sovereignty and dignity of the DPRK” saying they target the communist state during its mourning period for the late leader Kim Jong-il.

Rianovosti