Seoul warns Pyongyang against future provocations as S. Korea-U.S. drills begin

The two Koreas have exchanged what they usually do... around this time of year... North Korea has fired missiles in reaction to the South′s annual military exercises with the U.S. which began today. And Seoul was quick to condemn Pyongyang′s hostile reaction. Kim Hyun-bin reports. South Korea′s defense ministry condemned North Korea on Monday for firing two short-range missiles into the East Sea earlier in the day, calling it a violation of UN resolutions, and warned Pyongyang that it will move swiftly to counter any future provocations. The two missiles are presumed to have been short-range Scud missiles with an approximate range of 500 kilometers. They were fired into the East Sea from the western port city of Nampo. The ministry says the missile firing is probably the North′s way of expressing its opposition to the South Korea-U.S joint military exercises, which kicked off on the same day. Over 210-thousand South Korean troops and around 12-thousand American troops are taking part in the annual exercise, which consists of two parts. Part one is the two-week-long Key Resolve exercise, a computerized command post exercise aimed at enhancing the combined forces′ operations and strategy. Part two is the eight-week-long Foal Eagle field training exercise that aims to enhance interoperability between Korea and the U.S. across all branches of the military during wartime. The annual exercises, which date back to the early 1970s, have long been a source of aggravation for the North, with Pyongyang calling the drills a "rehearsal for a northward invasion." Seoul and Washington say the exercises are defensive in nature. Last year, North Korea protested the drills by launching a series of roughly 90 Scud missiles and long-range rockets. Kim Hyun-bin, Arirang News.