South Korea, US kick off joint military exercise increasing regional tension

SEOUL - South Korea and the United States on Monday kicked off a joint military exercise amid concerns from neighbor countries.

The annual springtime war game, Freedom Shield (FS), will continue for 11 days through March, South Korea's defense ministry said.

A variety of combined field training exercises will be staged in sea, land and air to bolster the interoperability and enhance the combined operation capabilities.

During the war game, US military strategic assets such as strategic bombers and nuclear-powered aircraft carriers will be likely to be deployed around the Korean Peninsula, according to Yonhap news agency.

Seoul and Washington have insisted that the joint drill is defensive in nature, but the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) has denounced it as a dress rehearsal for a northward invasion.