US, S Korea to launch massive drill next week

The US military is preparing for a joint war game with South Korea next week, AFP reports.

A US military spokesman told AFP that more than 10,000 US troops will participate in the large-scale landing drill, which comes days after North Korea test-fired 25 projectiles in apparent protest at the continuing joint exercises.

The war game, code-named Ssang Yong (“Twin Dragons”) will take place from March 27 through to April 7 on the southeast coast of South Korea. It will involve 7,500 US Marines, 2,000 US Navy personnel, according to the spokesman.

Korea’s Yonhap news agency said 3,500 Marines and 1,000 Navy sailors would take part from South Korea, adding that a total of 12 South Korean and US Navy amphibious ships will also participate in the drill.

“Ssang Yong 14 is an annual combined exercise conducted by Marine and Navy Forces with the ROK (South Korea) in order to strengthen the interoperability and working relationships of the two militaries across the range of operations – from disaster relief, to complex expeditionary operations,” US Forces in Korea said in a press statement.

The US Marines taking part in the drill belong to the 3rd Marine Expeditionary Brigade, based in Okinawa, Japan, the statement added.

Some 28,500 American troops are stationed in South Korea.

North Korea has recently carried out a series of rocket and missile launches in recent weeks, sparking condemnation from Seoul and Washington.

China’s special envoy Wu Dawei urged North Koreans earlier this week to resume six-party talks on its nuclear programs.

“Special Representative Wu Dawei … held consultations with the DPRK (North Korea). Major topics include the situation of the Korean Peninsula and how to resume the Six-Party Talks,” Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hong Lei told journalists on Wednesday.

Six-party talks, which have been stalled since December 2008,involves South Korea, North Korea, the US, China, Russia and Japan.