US, ROK kick off military exercise

The Republic of Korea (ROK) and the United States kicked off annual joint military drills yesterday with a focus on preparing Seoul to retake wartime command of its forces from Washington in 2012.

The drill - called Ulchi Freedom Guardian - is a computer-simulated war game. ROK forces will take on more leadership this year in preparation for the coming command transfer, according to the ROK Joint Chiefs of Staff and the US military.

The drill, which runs through Thursday, involves 56,000 ROK troops and 10,000 US soldiers in the ROK and abroad. It was previously known as Ulchi Focus Lens.