S Korea and US to hold joint military exercise in August

South Korean and US forces will launch their annual joint exercise in late August to improve their defense posture against the belligerent North Korea, military officials said Monday. The Combined Forces Command (CFC) said in a statement the two allies will hold the Ulchi Freedom Guardian (UFG) from August 20-31. The computer-aided exercises will mobilize some 56,000 South Korean troops and about 30,000 US soldiers, including some 3,000 from the US and other bases around the Pacific region, the CFC said. The CFC said the total number of participants will be more than 530,000, with more troops coming from seven United Nations Command states -- Australia, Britain, Canada, New Zealand, Denmark, Norway and France. "Ulchi Freedom Guardian is a key exercise to strengthen the readiness of Republic of Korea and US forces," (Yonhap) news agency quoted Gen. James Thurman, the commander of US Forces Korea, as saying in a statement. "It is based on realistic scenarios and enables us to train on our essential tasks with a whole of government," he added. North Korea has long balked at these joint maneuvers, claiming they amount to a prelude to war. Seoul and Washington have countered that the drill is defensive in nature, according to Yonhap. The UN Command Military Armistice Commission on Friday informed Pyongyang through its border village Panmunjom of the exercise dates and "non-provocative nature" of the training, a CFC official said. Tension on the Korean Peninsula remains high following the North's two military attacks in 2010 that killed 50 South Koreans. The South's military has vowed a tougher retaliation if provoked again.