The US and South Korea have started military exercises

 These exercises are aimed at strengthening security and stability not only on the Korean Peninsula, but also throughout Northeast Asia and the Indo-Pacific region.

The United States and South Korea have begun one of their largest annual joint military exercises, which is sure to raise tensions in North Korea, which earlier this year threatened to destroy its southern neighbor. Exercise Freedom Shield, which will run from March 4 to March 14, includes land, sea and air exercises with a focus on countering nuclear operations. It is also the first large-scale joint exercise since political differences led North and South Korea to scrap a 2018 accord designed to reduce tensions along their well-armed border, the US Forces Korea said.

"These annual exercises are intended to strengthen mutual understanding between the Joint Forces Command, US Forces Korea, the United Nations Command, and the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the Republic of Korea, to ensure their ability to strengthen the joint defense and strengthen the Alliance's ability to respond to a wide range of security threats," the US Armed Forces in Korea say.

Military personnel from 12 UN Joint Command member countries: Australia, Belgium, Canada, Colombia, France, Great Britain, Greece, Italy, New Zealand, the Philippines, Thailand, the United States and France are participating in the exercise, providing additional personnel. These exercises are aimed at strengthening security and stability not only on the Korean Peninsula, but also throughout Northeast Asia and the Indo-Pacific region.