South Korea, U.S. begin joint military exercise amid North Korea threat

South Korea and the United States began a joint large-scale military exercise on Monday aimed at further strengthening their combined defense capabilities to cope with threats from North Korea, with a focus on readiness against Pyongyang's weapons of mass destruction.The annual Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise, which will last 11 days until Aug. 29, also features 48 field drills, up from 38 last year. The exercise began after North Korean state media framed it as "provocative war drills for aggression" the previous day.The official Korean Central News Agency report, citing a statement by an in…READ FULL ARTICLE