South Korea and US will start summer military drills next week to counter North Korean threats

Associated Press

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea and the United States will start their annual joint military exercises next week with a focus on improving their combined capabilities to deter and defend against growing North Korean nuclear threats. North Korea may react with belligerence as it views the drills as rehearsals for an invasion. It has used the drills as a pretext for its weapons development. South Korea and the U.S. said Monday the Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise this year will include computer simulations, field maneuvers and live-fire exercises.