The exercises, known as Ulchi Freedom Shield , will continue through September 1 in South Korea and include live fire drills involving aircraft, warships, tanks and tens of thousands of troops
The military exercises involving potentially tens of thousands of troops come amid increasingly hostile rhetoric and heightened weapons testing activity from Pyongyang.
While Washington and Seoul describe their exercises as defensive, North Korea portrays them as invasion rehearsals and has used them to justify its nuclear weapons and missiles development.
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) The United States and South Korea began their biggest combined military training in years Monday as they heighten their defense posture against the growing North Korean nuclear threat.