By IANS,
Seoul : South Korean and US forces launched their annual military exercise Monday despite a warning by North Korea that it is “ready to fight a war”.
Exercise “Key Resolve” Feb 27-March 9 brings together 200,000 South Korean forces and 2,100 US troops for drills based on various scenarios of assumed threats to the defense of South Korea, reported Xinhua.
North Korea, which remains technically at war with South Korea after the 1950-53 civil conflict ended with a truce, has routinely denounced the drills by the allies as preparation for a northward invasion.
“The army and people (North Korea) are fully ready to fight a war with them,” Pyongyang’s state-run Korean Central News Agency said Monday.
“The warmongers will meet destruction in the fire kindled by them if they go reckless misjudging the strong will of the Koreans to defend peace.”
The South Korea-US Combined Forces Command (CFC) said the drills are “routine and defense-oriented”.