Leavenworth Strategist

US, South Korea Military Raise Defense Alert Level After North's Threats

VOA By Kurt Achin, Seoul, 28 May 2009

South Korea and the United States have raised their defense alert levels on the Korean peninsula, a day after the North said it was willing to discard the 56-year-old armistice that paused the Korean War. Analysts expect more tension in the days ahead.

South Korea and the United States boosted defense alert conditions to the second highest in a five-level structure, Thursday.

Won Tae-jae, a spokesman for the South Korean Defense Ministry, says the two militaries are devoting more personnel to intelligence gathering and analysis, including aviation and reconnaissance. He says South Korea and the United States will cooperate in keeping a watch over North Korea's movements...

South Korea, US begin military drills

By KWANG-TAE KIM, Associated Press Writer

North Korea warned it would take steps to safeguard the communist country as South Korea and the United States kicked off annual joint military exercises Sunday.

North Korea routinely condemns the war games, calling them a preparation for an invasion. The U.S. and South Korea say the exercises are purely defensive.

The reaction came hours after the tens of thousands of South Korean and American troops began their exercises, and amid an impasse in international efforts to strip the North of its nuclear weapons programs.

"The reckless war maneuvers create a severe obstacle to resolving the nuclear issue between the North and the U.S.," the KCNA report said.