Highlights
– North Korea believes United States and South Korean military exercises is rehearsal for war
– US and South Korea carry out annual maneuvers and will begin new exercises in March 2008 despite North Korean protests
– The current situation will not likely start a diplomatic standoff or war, but experts fear that the warming diplomatic relations between North Korea, South Korea and the US may begin to fade
The North Korean government recently announced that annual military exercises by the United States and South Korea is a veil to hide secret war planning. Calling the exercises “nothing but saber rattling to invade the North,” North Korea again demanded an immediate end to Washington’s hostile policy and withdrawal all troops from South Korea. The US denies any plan to invade North Korea, but the Kim Jong Il government will continue to protest military and political cooperation between the US and South Korea, despite a recent warming of relations.
The Exercises
The six-day exercises, named Key Resolve and Foal Eagle, are set to begin March 2, 2008 with 27,000 American troops, along with the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz and an undisclosed number of South Korean soldiers. The exercises involve a computer-simulated war game with field drills aimed at improving US and South Korean forces’ defense capabilities.
South Korea and the US have characterized the maneuvers as purely defensive, but North Korea has long claimed the US is planning an invasion and the drills are a rehearsal for an attack.
North Korea’s Fears
The North Korean government has long believed the US plans to permanently station troops in South Korea. Presently, an estimated 28,500 American troops are based in South Korea. The US government has stationed troops in South Korea following the end of the Korean War in 1953 and has no immediate plans to withdrawal the force.
In denouncing the upcoming military exercises, the North Korean government issued a statement claiming the drills are an attempt to destroy their republic and start a nuclear war.
Outlook
Diplomatic relations between the two Koreas warmed after the first summit of their leaders in 2000 and improved further during a second summit last year. However, the increasing slowness of North Korea to dismantle its only nuclear reactor and declare all of its nuclear facilities, has hampered diplomatic relations with the US and South Korea.
Despite North Korea’s protests, the military exercises will take place and will continue to be conducted annually. While a war with the US, or a regional war with South Korea is unlikely in the near- to mid-term, the border between the two Koreas will remain a hot spot. The US will continue to pressure North Korea to end its nuclear program, but the renegade nation will not likely meet new deadlines.