President Lee Myung-bak ordered his military Monday to "thoroughly" prepare and conduct extensive annual joint drills with the U.S. as
a means to prevent war from reoccurring on the peninsula.
"Ulchi Freedom Guardian (UFG) is an exercise for peace and war deterrence," Lee said during a special Cabinet meeting held at an underground bunker in the presidential compound as tens of thousands of South Korean and American troops kicked off 11 days of computerized war games.
Lee took note of the timing of this year's UFG, which comes as military tensions have
been increasing since the sinking of a South Korean warship in March near the western
sea border between the two Koreas. South Korea blamed North Korea for sinking the 1,200-ton Cheonan, which killed 46 sailors.
"UFG takes place each year, but the people may feel anxious as this year's exercise is held at a time when inter-Korean tensions have heightened following the Cheonan incident," Lee said, according to his spokeswoman Kim Hee-jung.
In response, North Korea issued typical threats of military counteraction.
Lee pointed out the need to take the drills seriously as many countries without outright
enemies conduct emergency military drills in a strict way.
"As a divided nation, we need to conduct the training thoroughly, not by formality," Lee
was quoted as saying.
The two Koreas remain technically at war since the 1950-53 conflict ended in a truce, not a peace treaty. Around 28,000 U.S. troops are stationed here as a legacy of the war.