U.S.-S Korea joint drills begin amid N Korea tensions

Put out fire with gasoline!! Looks like David Bowie had a point after all.

America is clearly pursuing a policy of "ad pugnam hostem provocare" regarding NK. They are trying to provoke the Norks into making the first move.

Let's hope they can run these better than the Navy seem to run their ships......

So the annual drills being held are suddenly a problem this year more than others? And those who think we should not hold drills? I would agree once DPRK stops threatening to burn the rest of the world with their nuclear fire. Appeasement is a policy of fools if history has taught us anything. It will always come around to bite you later.

Burning Bush, and DPRK has shown in the past they are great at keeping their word... not. They are the ones that need to cool the rhetoric. Not to mention that we (the world) probably should not be making any deals with a country that throws its own people into death camps for 3 generations just for minor infractions.

Burning BushAug. 21  06:28 pm JST

 I would agree once DPRK stops threatening to burn the rest of the world with their nuclear fire.

Actual, a proposal was put forth that the US stop the drills near the border and the North Koreans would stop their missile tests.

The US rejected the proposal.

A "proposal" by whom? It has to be China because North Korea has repeatedly stated that their missile tests and nuclear program are NOT negotiable. So North Korea rejected this "proposal" too.

Why would the US give up our right to have military exercise with our allies? It's well within the laws. Makes no sense at all.

Whose really the war monger here?

@Burning Bush: You mean its okay for N. Korea or China to hold war exercises or show force and not considered "war mongers" in doing so? You're showing your true anti-U.S. colours.

According to a 2015 military and security report to the U.S. Congress, along with other various military reports, about 4-5% of North Korea's 25 million population are on active military duty, making it the fourth largest army in the world, just under U.S., China, India, with another 25 to 30% expected to be on standby ready for deployment, adding another 7.5 million troops under Kim Jong-un's command.

In contrast, South Korea can only call 635,000 to its defenses, along with the 35,000 U.S. troops along the border.

Who's the real war monger?

In a commentary carried by the official Rodong Sinmun newspaper, the North warned of an "uncontrollable phase of a nuclear war" on the peninsula.

Trump replies: "That's too bad."

Ask them. They made the offer.

America is clearly pursuing a policy of "ad pugnam hostem provocare" regarding NK. They are trying to provoke the Norks into making the first move.

I'm sure the Pentagon continuously contemplate daily as how they can start a full scale nuclear war with NK. These people have nothing better to do than to oversee the destruction of that country, just out of pure pleasure.