S. Korean, US marines to hold Joint Drill

South Korean and US marines will stage their first joint drill on islands near the Yellow Sea border with North Korea this year, in a show of force to the North that its provocations won't be tolerated, officials said Thursday. Marine commanders from the two allies discussed details about the planned drill at their regular "Staff Talk" held on Baengnyeong Island this week, officials at the South's Marine Corps said, according to South Korea's (Yonhap) news agency. "Although the exact timing of the planned drill has not been fixed yet, it will be the first time that South Korean and US marines hold a joint drill on the islands," an official at the Marine Corps said on the condition of anonymity. It was also the first time that South Korean and US troops held military strategy talks on a Yellow Sea border island since the end of the 1950-53 Korean War, the official said. A source at the South's military said the planned drill could be staged in July before the allies start their annual military drills, dubbed "Ulchi Freedom Guardian," set for August.