S. Korea, U.S. to hold annual defense exercise

By Sam Kim
SEOUL, July 24 (Yonhap) -- The United States said Friday it will hold an annual
joint military exercise with South Korea next month which North Korea routinely
denounces as a war preparation.

"North Korea was notified this morning of the Aug. 17-27 exercise that will draw
10,000 U.S. troops," Kim Yong-kyu, a U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) spokesman, told
reporters.
He declined to say how the notice was delivered. North Korea has yet to respond.
In a statement, the USFK called the Ulchi Freedom Guardian (UFG) a defensive
exercise that is "not meant to be provocative in any way."
The drill is "designed to improve the alliance's ability to defend ROK against
external aggression," the USFK said. ROK stands for South Korea's official name,
the Republic of Korea.
About 28,500 U.S. troops are stationed in South Korea as a deterrent against
North Korea, a legacy of the 1950-53 Korean War that ended in a truce rather than
a peace treaty.
Tension persists on the peninsula after North Korea conducted its second nuclear
test on May 25. Pyongyang has also declared the truce void and threatened a
conflict.
samkim@yna.co.kr
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