US, South Korea begin major military drills amid North Korea nuclear threat

The Associated Press reports.

According to a statement from the South Korean Ministry of Defense, South Korean and American forces have commenced computer-simulated command-post exercises called Freedom Shield, as well as various field exercises, which will last for 11 days.

Last week, South Korean military officials announced that they would conduct 48 joint field exercises with the US military in the spring, twice as many as last year.

The tensions in relations and the increasing nuclear threat from North Korea, as noted in the publication, are associated with the upcoming presidential elections in the United States in November and the parliamentary elections in South Korea in April.

According to experts, North Korea believes that its current nuclear arsenal will increase its leverage in future diplomacy, enabling it to achieve concessions such as the easing of international sanctions.

• During a visit to the Defense Ministry to celebrate the anniversary of the founding of the army, Kim Jong Un said he has the legal right to destroy South Korea, threatening the neighbor after the beginning of the year when he excluded the concept of peaceful unification from his country's national policy.

• Later, North Korea claimed that it had recently developed guided missiles for a multiple launch rocket system and its flight control system. In response, the South Korean military noted that it was ready to respond to any provocations by Pyongyang.