North Korea slams US-South Korea computer-simulated drills

The war of words comes ahead of the annual Ulchi-Freedom Guardian exercises, which are scheduled to run from August 21 to August 31.

-South Korea military drills are reckless behaviors capable of igniting a nuclear war.

But Daniel Pinkston, a military expert who teaches at Troy University in Seoul, says the US-South Korea drills will not push the region to a war.

Last month North Korea test-launched two ICBMs at highly lofted angles, and outside experts say those missiles can reach some USA parts like Alaska, Los Angeles or Chicago if fired at normal, flattened trajectories.

North Korea has warned the USA will be “pouring gasolene on the fire” by conducting a war game with its long-time southern foe.

In an unusual gesture, three top US military commanders – Pacific Command chief Adm. Harry Harris, Strategic Command head Gen. John Hyten and Missile Defense Agency Director Lt. Gen. Samuel Greaves – will observe the command-post exercise in person.

South Korea usually deploys about 50,000 troops while the USA sends 25,000 to 30,000 soldiers.

“I don’t want to see the destruction of North Korea, but I want to see my president tell the world that if they attack Guam, then the outcome is the annihilation of their regime”, he said.

Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission observers will monitor the exercise to ensure it complies with the 1953 armistice agreement, defense officials said. The exercise was initiated in 1976 and is held annually during August or September.

-South Korean war games beginning next week will involve fewer American troops than previous year.

Both US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Secretary of Defense James Mattis said last week that the US was keeping military options on the table in dealing with North Korea.

Supersonic B-1B bombers from the US Pacific Command’s Andersen Air Force Base in Guam are often flown over the peninsula for joint exercises and to demonstrate Washington’s “full range of military capabilities” – always infuriating Pyongyang. They stressed that the exercises would “further drive the situation on the Korean Peninsula into a catastrophe”.

North Korea is a useful buffer state for China between it and U.S. forces based in South Korea, and also across the sea in Japan.

Despite the threat, USA and South Korean militaries launched this year’s 11-day training on Monday morning as scheduled. “North Korea should not use this as a pretext for provocation”. During last year’s exercises, North Korea launched a ballistic missile from a submarine and put its military on the highest alert. But as the rhetoric escalated this week, the USA reportedly asked Britain’s Royal Air Force to help them spy on North Korea’s nuclear bases in order to find Kim’s missile stocks, says the Daily Mirror.