US and S. Korea begin their largest military joint exercise

World Today

The United States and the Republic of Korea began their largest military exercises ever Monday, off the coast of the Korean peninsula.

The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea considers it a threat, not a drill, and said it will counter with nuclear strikes against them. Experts doubt the DPRK has the capability to carry out such an attack.

CCTV America’s Sean Callebs reports.

The maneuvers will involve some 300,000 South Korean forces, coupled with 17,000 U.S. troops and a whole lot of U.S. military hardware.

With regional tensions already high, the DPRK’s response was quick.

Pyongyang vowed what its leaders called “indiscriminate” nuclear strikes on the U.S. and South Korea to turn U.S. military bases into “seas of flames and ash.”

The U.S. said it notified the DPRK’s leadership ahead of operations and stressed the military maneuvers are just drills.

But the ROK’s media said they’re also practice runs for precision attacks against the DPRK’s top leadership and its nuclear capability in the event of a war.

Given the already elevated tension in the region, China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi was hoping cooler heads prevail.

Kim Jong-Un’s government is already paying a high price for its most recent nuclear test, and rocket launch. While China agreed to punishing U.N. sanctions against the DPRK for these actions, Beijing wants to bring all sides back to the negotiating table in an effort to stabilize the region.

The joint exercises, called Key Resolve and Foal Eagle, are annual events. But these operations are nearly twice as large as 2015, involving a U.S. nuclear aircraft carrier, nuclear sub, and B-2 bomber.