South Korea and U.S. launch annual military drills Sheetal Sukhija

• Monday 2nd April, 2018
  

After a month-long delay, U.S. and South Korea kicked off their annual military exercises
Protesters held up peace signs during the anti-war rally
The joint drills involve 23,700 U.S. troops and 300,000 South Koreans
SEOUL, South Korea - After a month-long delay, the U.S. and South Korea kicked off their joint military on Sunday, even as protesters held up peace signs during the anti-war rally.
The annual joint military exercises had been delayed by about a month for the Winter Olympics and to help create conditions for a resumption of talks between North and South Korea.
Now that dates have been set for talks between the two rival Koreas, the military exercises began on Sunday, even though a number of South Korean protesters held up signs denouncing the exercises.
Rallies were held near the U.S. embassy in Seoul and several anti-war activists held up bright pink peace signs.
Meanwhile, authorities announced that the Foal Eagle field exercise, which usually involves combined ground, air, naval, and special operations troops, is set to continue for a month.
According to officials, the computer-simulated Key Resolve will be held for two weeks starting in mid-April.
In March, a Pentagon spokesman said that the two joint drills would involve about 23,700 U.S. troops and 300,000 South Korean forces.
On Sunday, military officials in Seoul said that the scale of the exercises would not go beyond those seen in previous years.
Officials said that the Foal Eagle and Key Resolve exercises were postponed this year until after the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics and Paralympics, which started in February and ended last month.
After North Korea confirmed that it would be holding meetings with South Korea later this month, the country, which has traditionally accused both South Korea and the United States of practising invading the North during joint military drills, has not commented on the start of the exercises.
South Korea's National Security Office head Chung Eui-yong, who led the delegation to the North in March this year said that that the North Korean leader Kim Jong Un told the delegation from South Korea that he “understands” the situation regarding the joint drills.
Meanwhile, the Foal Eagle drill started the same day as a historic concert by South Korean pop stars in Pyongyang, which was staged on Sunday as a peace gesture ahead of the summit.
It was the first such concert in Pyongyang in over a decade and 11 South Korean acts performed at the event, which was attended by Kim Jong Un..
The joint exercises also come less than a month ahead of the April 27 summit between the two Koreas.

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