ID :
49715
Tue, 03/10/2009 - 04:22
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://www.oananews.org//node/49715
The shortlink copeid
(LEAD) S. Korea, U.S. begin military drill amid N. Korea threats
SEOUL, March 9 (Yonhap) -- South Korea and the United States kicked off one of their largest joint military exercises on Monday amid fears North Korea may test-fire a long-range ballistic missile in protest.
The Key Resolve and Foal Eagle exercise, which mobilizes over 25,000 U.S. troops,
a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier and tens of thousands of South Korean
soldiers, has been dubbed by North Korea as a prelude to war.
The drill, slated to end on March 20, is genuinely defensive, its organizers say,
even though the North warned of "consequences" during two rounds of general-level
talks with the U.S.-led U.N. Command in South Korea last week.
The exercise "is a routine training exercise that takes place every year at about
the same time," U.S. General Walter Sharp was quoted as saying in a statement
released by the U.S. Forces Korea.
"It is not tied in any way to any political or real-world event," Sharp, who also
heads the South Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command, was quoted as saying.
About 28,500 U.S. troops are stationed in South Korea -- a legacy of the 1950-53
Korean War that ended in a truce that is monitored by the U.N. Command.
North Korea said Monday it has placed its 1.2 million troops on a full
combat-ready posture, blocking its military communications lines with South Korea
in protest.
It has also affirmed that it will go ahead with the launch of what it calls a
communications satellite. Neighbors believe it could be a cover for a Taepodong-2
missile technically capable of hitting Alaska.
An unnamed spokesman for the North's general staff said Monday his country will
retaliate against any attempt to intercept its rocket by mobilizing "the most
powerful military means," arguing such a move would "precisely mean a war."
The U.S. has deployed several Aegis destroyers possibly capable of intercepting
missiles, while Japan has indicated it could shoot down a North Korean rocket
should one be launched over its territory.
Won Tae-jae, spokesman for the South Korean defense ministry, said the North
Korean threat of retaliation appears inflated, but stressed the combined forces
were ready to counter any contingency.
"It is something we need to examine militarily, but we believe it to be part of
the North's political rhetoric," he said in a briefing. "We're making full
preparations in case the threat turns out to be true."
Won added North Korea has been asked to take part in the exercise as an observer,
but Pyongyang rejected the offer.
On Thursday, the North said that it would not guarantee the safety of South
Korean passenger planes flying over its eastern waters as long as the exercise
remains effective.
Korean Air and Asiana Airlines -- the nation's two largest airlines --
immediately rerouted their flights.
The joint exercise coincides with a visit to South Korea by the new U.S. special
envoy on North Korea, Stephen Bosworth, who bluntly appealed on Saturday for
Pyongyang to return to dialogue and stop raising tension.
The two countries remain deadlocked in six-nation aid-for-denuclearization talks
that also include South Korea, China, Japan and Russia.
The North is refusing to accept a U.S. proposal aimed at inspecting its past
atomic activities, contending that the U.S. has secretly deployed nuclear arms in
South Korea and calling for simultaneous inspections.
The U.S. says the verification in the South was done nearly two decades ago.
North Korea shocked the world in October 2006 when it conducted its first known
atomic test, just months after it test-fired a Taepodong-2 missile that has an
estimated range of over 6,700 kilometers.
The rocket crashed soon after takeoff, outside officials say, and the model
requires further sophistication to be tipped with a nuclear warhead. North Korea
is believed to have extracted plutonium worth several nuclear bombs.
A Seattle-based private think tank said last week the North may decide to go
ahead with a second nuclear test to move itself up the list of foreign policy
priorities being sorted out by U.S. President Barack Obama.
The Key Resolve and Foal Eagle exercise is aimed at strengthening the
capabilities of the allies to quickly reinforce frontline forces should North
Korea invade the South, according to its organizers.
Over 12,000 members of the U.S. Forces Korea will take part in the exercise,
while approximately 13,100 troops will join them from overseas, testing a war
plan in which hundreds of thousands of American forces are deployed to the Korean
Peninsula should North Korea provoke war.
The combined exercise, the largest along with the Ulchi Freedom Guardian drill in
summer, also focuses on deterring possible rear infiltration by North Korean
special forces.
"The primary goal is to ensure the command is ready to defend the ROK in the
event it becomes necessary," Sharp was quoted as saying in the U.S. release. ROK
is the acronym for South Korea's official name, the Republic of Korea.
The drill will take place across South Korea, with the USS John C. Stennis
aircraft carrier and a group of Aegis destroyers backing the operations.
The exercise is also aimed at facilitating the transition of the wartime
operational control of 655,000 South Korean troops from the top American
commander here to Seoul.
South Korea relinquished the control during the Korean War, with peacetime
control returned in 1994. The wartime control is set to be restored in April
2012.
samkim@yna.co.kr
(END)
The Key Resolve and Foal Eagle exercise, which mobilizes over 25,000 U.S. troops,
a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier and tens of thousands of South Korean
soldiers, has been dubbed by North Korea as a prelude to war.
The drill, slated to end on March 20, is genuinely defensive, its organizers say,
even though the North warned of "consequences" during two rounds of general-level
talks with the U.S.-led U.N. Command in South Korea last week.
The exercise "is a routine training exercise that takes place every year at about
the same time," U.S. General Walter Sharp was quoted as saying in a statement
released by the U.S. Forces Korea.
"It is not tied in any way to any political or real-world event," Sharp, who also
heads the South Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command, was quoted as saying.
About 28,500 U.S. troops are stationed in South Korea -- a legacy of the 1950-53
Korean War that ended in a truce that is monitored by the U.N. Command.
North Korea said Monday it has placed its 1.2 million troops on a full
combat-ready posture, blocking its military communications lines with South Korea
in protest.
It has also affirmed that it will go ahead with the launch of what it calls a
communications satellite. Neighbors believe it could be a cover for a Taepodong-2
missile technically capable of hitting Alaska.
An unnamed spokesman for the North's general staff said Monday his country will
retaliate against any attempt to intercept its rocket by mobilizing "the most
powerful military means," arguing such a move would "precisely mean a war."
The U.S. has deployed several Aegis destroyers possibly capable of intercepting
missiles, while Japan has indicated it could shoot down a North Korean rocket
should one be launched over its territory.
Won Tae-jae, spokesman for the South Korean defense ministry, said the North
Korean threat of retaliation appears inflated, but stressed the combined forces
were ready to counter any contingency.
"It is something we need to examine militarily, but we believe it to be part of
the North's political rhetoric," he said in a briefing. "We're making full
preparations in case the threat turns out to be true."
Won added North Korea has been asked to take part in the exercise as an observer,
but Pyongyang rejected the offer.
On Thursday, the North said that it would not guarantee the safety of South
Korean passenger planes flying over its eastern waters as long as the exercise
remains effective.
Korean Air and Asiana Airlines -- the nation's two largest airlines --
immediately rerouted their flights.
The joint exercise coincides with a visit to South Korea by the new U.S. special
envoy on North Korea, Stephen Bosworth, who bluntly appealed on Saturday for
Pyongyang to return to dialogue and stop raising tension.
The two countries remain deadlocked in six-nation aid-for-denuclearization talks
that also include South Korea, China, Japan and Russia.
The North is refusing to accept a U.S. proposal aimed at inspecting its past
atomic activities, contending that the U.S. has secretly deployed nuclear arms in
South Korea and calling for simultaneous inspections.
The U.S. says the verification in the South was done nearly two decades ago.
North Korea shocked the world in October 2006 when it conducted its first known
atomic test, just months after it test-fired a Taepodong-2 missile that has an
estimated range of over 6,700 kilometers.
The rocket crashed soon after takeoff, outside officials say, and the model
requires further sophistication to be tipped with a nuclear warhead. North Korea
is believed to have extracted plutonium worth several nuclear bombs.
A Seattle-based private think tank said last week the North may decide to go
ahead with a second nuclear test to move itself up the list of foreign policy
priorities being sorted out by U.S. President Barack Obama.
The Key Resolve and Foal Eagle exercise is aimed at strengthening the
capabilities of the allies to quickly reinforce frontline forces should North
Korea invade the South, according to its organizers.
Over 12,000 members of the U.S. Forces Korea will take part in the exercise,
while approximately 13,100 troops will join them from overseas, testing a war
plan in which hundreds of thousands of American forces are deployed to the Korean
Peninsula should North Korea provoke war.
The combined exercise, the largest along with the Ulchi Freedom Guardian drill in
summer, also focuses on deterring possible rear infiltration by North Korean
special forces.
"The primary goal is to ensure the command is ready to defend the ROK in the
event it becomes necessary," Sharp was quoted as saying in the U.S. release. ROK
is the acronym for South Korea's official name, the Republic of Korea.
The drill will take place across South Korea, with the USS John C. Stennis
aircraft carrier and a group of Aegis destroyers backing the operations.
The exercise is also aimed at facilitating the transition of the wartime
operational control of 655,000 South Korean troops from the top American
commander here to Seoul.
South Korea relinquished the control during the Korean War, with peacetime
control returned in 1994. The wartime control is set to be restored in April
2012.
samkim@yna.co.kr
(END)
