South Korea, US to hold war games

South Korean students hold papers depicting the US flag and a bomb explosion during a rally denouncing a joint military exercise between South Korea and the US in front of a US army base in Seoul yesterday. PHOTO: AFP

South Korea and the US yesterday announced plans for an annual exercise aimed at deterring a North Korean attack, as Washington began talks with Pyongyang on normalizing relations.

US and South Korean troops will hold the annual exercises called RSOI and Foal Eagle from March 25-31, US Forces Korea said in a statement, adding North Korea's army had been informed.

"[We have] assured them that this is a defensive military readiness exercise, and that it is not meant to be provocative in any way," it said in a statement.

The training drills have been held for years without a major incident. About 29,000 US troops will take part in this year's exercises along with an undisclosed number of South Korean troops.

The week-long exercise will focus on a mock battle aimed at preparing for the sudden arrival of US reinforcements and is purely defensive, US military authorities said in a statement.

"As in past exercises, RSOI/FE 07 will include a full range of conventional equipment, capabilities and personnel," according to the statement.

The announcement came as US Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill met with his North Korean counterpart Kim Kye-Gwan in New York for initial talks on normalizing diplomatic relations.

The meeting is a follow-up to the Feb. 13 Beijing agreement under which North Korea agreed to shut down its nuclear programs in return for diplomatic and economic incentives.

The exercise usually includes some of the 29,500 US troops based here and others from abroad, South Korean military contingents and a US aircraft carrier backed by cruisers and destroyers.

As part of RSOI (Reception, Staging, Onward Movement and Integration), South Korea mobilizes hundreds of thousands of troops every year for anti-commando operations and computer war games.

But the alliance has undergone changes in recent years as Seoul moves to reduce its dependence on its main protector.

Defense heads of the two allies agreed last month to return wartime control to South Korea in 2012, ending command arrangements that date back to the war.

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