South Korea, US begin annual war games

Combined forces of South Korea and the United States on Monday began their annual military exercises. The"Key Resolve"command post exercise will run from Feb. 24 to March 6, and the "Foal Eagle" field training exercise will continue through April 18, according to Seoul's Defense Ministry. Around 5,200 U.S. troops, including 1,100 arriving from off the Korean Peninsula, will participate in the computer-simulated"Key Resolve."Some 7,500 American forces, including 5,100 from overseas, will join the"Foal Eagle." The number of U.S. servicemen taking part in the Key Resolve was up from 3,500 last year, but the figure for the Foal Eagle was down from around 10,000 in 2013. The mixed figure was attributable to the U.S.'s automatic spending cuts, which caused a reduction in the budget-spending field training exercise and an expansion in the computer-simulated command post exercise. Around 10,000 South Korean troops will participate in the Key Resolve, and some 200,000 soldiers will take part in the Foal Eagle drills, which involve a set of ground, air, naval, expeditionary and special operations. "South Korea and the U.S. plan to conduct the Key Resolve and Foal Eagle military exercises as scheduled without any change in schedules and scales from today, "Defense Ministry spokesman Kim Min-seok told a routine press briefing.