South Korea begins US military drills

SEOUL: South Korea launched a military drill on Monday with the United States (US) against a simulated North Korean invasion, even as a recent easing of tensions between Seoul and Pyongyang gathered momentum.

Although the annual Ulchi Freedom Guardian drill is largely played out on computers, it involves more than 80,000 South Korean and US troops and has repeatedly been condemned by Pyongyang as a provocative war rehearsal.