S.Korea, US to end part of joint war games

SEOUL -- South Korea and the United States will end one of the two joint annual war games Thursday, with the other being under way, amid the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK)'s rejection to Seoul's dialogue offer for regular family reunions.

The"Key Resolve"command post exercise, which began on February 24, will be completed Thursday, according to the schedules unveiled earlier by the South Korean Defense Ministry. About 5,200 U.S. troops, including 1,100 coming from overseas bases, participated in the two-week, computer-simulated exercise together with some 10, 000 South Korean soldiers.

The"Foal Eagle"field training exercise, involving some 7,500 American forces, will last until April 18 despite the DPRK's earlier call for delay or cancellation of the drill, which Pyongyang has denounced as the rehearsal for a northward invasion.

In what appeared to be a protest against the drills, Pyongyang fired off multiple short-range missiles and artillery shells from February 21 to March 4, which Seoul called as an armed protest and a show of force.

The DPRK said Wednesday that its recent short-range missile launches were"successful normal training within its own territory, "dismissing allegations that the DPRK raised tensions to heighten its bargaining power on the future negotiating table.

On Thursday morning, the DPRK sent a notice to reject South Korea's earlier offer to hold dialogue between Red Cross officials to discuss the topic on regularly holding family reunions.

Pyongyang said that atmosphere is not created to hold such talks for the family reunion issue, noting that such significant humanitarian issue as the regularization of family reunion cannot be discussed through the Red Cross channel.

The two Koreas have agreed to hold another senior-level talks when both sides feel comfortable after holding the vice ministerial-level dialogue in mid-February, the first of such kind in around seven years.

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