S. Korea, U.S. begin war game amid N. Korean threat of retaliation

(ATTN: RECASTS headline, lead; UPDATES with drill on cyber warfare in paras 11-12;
RESTRUCTURES; ADDS background)
By Sam Kim
SEOUL, Aug. 17 (Yonhap) -- South Korea and the United States began their annual
computer-simulated war game on Monday, officials said, as North Korea threatened
a "nuclear deterrent" against what it called preparation for invasion.
The North Korean military said earlier in the day through the communist state's
official media that it put its 1.2 million troops on a "special alert" in
response.
It also said it would retaliate against any attempt to invade its territory with
"all offensive and defensive means including nuclear deterrent."
South Korea and the U.S., which will mobilize 56,000 and 10,000 troops,
respectively, for the exercise ending on Aug. 27, say the Ulchi Freedom Guardian
exercise is purely defensive.
South Korean defense ministry spokesperson Won Tae-jae said in a briefing that no
unusual activity has been detected in North Korea, discounting the significance
of the North Korean announcement.
"The alert appears to be a defensive measure. No unusual military activity has
been observed in the North," he said.
Won added the special alert was put into effect for the North Korean army
whenever the South and the U.S. held a joint war game in the past.
North Korea remains at war with South Korea and the U.S. after the 1950-53 Korean
War ended in a truce rather than a peace treaty.
The U.S. has 28,500 troops stationed in South Korea, and the South and the North
have each built up massive forces on their side of the Demilitarized Zone.
South Korean officials said the country's Defense Security Command will beef up
its portion of the exercise that is aimed at dealing with cyber attacks after
major government Web sites were downed due to attacks from unidentified hackers
in July.
The country's national intelligence agency initially named North Korea as a
possible suspect in the attacks that also affected U.S. government Web sites.
Officials here believe North Korea is operating a special hacking unit to extract
information from South Korean and U.S. computer networks and disrupt them in the
event of a conflict.
North Korea conducted its second nuclear test in May. South Korea and the U.S.
refuse to consider the country a nuclear power even though they believe Pyongyang
has enough plutonium to make up to six nuclear bombs.
samkim@yna.co.kr
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