US, S Korea start joint military drills

Seoul and Washington yesterday began annual joint military exercises, defying warnings from Pyongyang that the war games will jeopardise nuclear negotiations between the United States and North Korea.

The drills come after Pyongyang tested a series of short-range projectiles in recent days, calling one of them a "solemn warning" to Seoul against pursuing the mainly computer-simulated drills with Washington.

South Korean defence minister Jeong Kyeong-doo told parliament that the joint exercise began yesterday, adding that Seoul was "clearly maintaining its readiness posture against any military action by North Korea".

Details about the training have not been disclosed, but a ministry official in Seoul said this year's exercise will include verifying South Korea's abilities to take operational control in wartime.

Under the US-South Korea security treaty, an American general will take command of their combined forces in the event of armed conflict, but Seoul has long sought to reverse the position.

Analysts say the military activities by both sides could delay talks on the North's weapons programmes -- which have seen it subjected to multiple sets of UN Security Council sanctions -- until later this year.