TOKYO, March 9 (KUNA) -- South Korea's military said Thursday the joint annual exercises with the US will continue as planned, one day after China requested a halt, according to Yonhap News Agency.
"The joint exercises will continue without a halt. It is a purely defensive annual drill," South Korea's Defense Ministry Spokesman Moon Sang-gyun was quoted as saying at a press briefing in Seoul.
On Wednesday, China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi proposed that North Korea suspend its nuclear and missile activities in return for a halt in the war drills by Seoul and Washington.
South Korean and US troops kicked off a two-month exercise involving ground, air and naval forces on March 1.
The allies also plan to start a two-week computer-simulated command post exercise on March 13. The USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier is scheduled to arrive in Busan around March 15 to participate in the latter exercise, in a show of force against the North, which fired off four ballistic missiles on Monday. (end) mk.gta