IN BRIEF (Page 12)

Korean Peninsula

ROK, US kick off 'largest' drills

The Republic of Korea and the United States kicked off their largest annual war games on Monday, weeks after the Democratic People's Republic of Korea nuclear test and rocket launch, Combined Forces Command said in a statement. The drills, code-named Key Resolve and Foal Eagle, are scheduled for the end of next month. Key Resolve is focused on computer simulation and will be carried out through March 18. The United States will mobilize about 17,000 troops, more than twice the number of previous years.