South Korean and US troops will begin major exercises next week in response to North Korean threats

By HYUNG-JIN KIM
Associated Press

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — The South Korean and U.S. militaries will begin large-scale annual military drills next week in response to North Korea’s evolving nuclear threats. The Freedom Shield exercise is command post training involving computer simulation, and it will coincide with separate field exercises held jointly by the two militaries. They jointly announced Wednesday the drills will start Monday and take place through March 14. South Korea’s military says the drills are designed to bolster their joint capabilities to prevent North Korea from using its nuclear weapons. North Korea has been angered by the drills in previous years because it considers them an invasion rehearsal.