S.Korea, US to begin preparation drills in advance of important exercise

Seoul 9th August : South Korea and the US are set to begin preliminary military exercises in the coming week in advance of their major joint exercise later in the month, sources informed on Tuesday saidAllies are scheduled to begin four days of South Korea-led crisis management exercises on Tuesday in the lead-up to the Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS) exercise that is scheduled to begin on August 22 and run until September 1st.

Yonhap News Agency quoted the sources as saying.The drills are conducted by South Koreas Joint Chiefs of Staff, the exercises are designed to teach a set of procedures to deal with the possibility of a pre-war crisis.

They are computer-generated training program based on the plans of the allies wartime contingency plans.The UFS includes two components -- one is devoted to fighting off attacks and protecting the larger Seoul area as well as the second on counter-attack operations.

The exercise is scheduled to take place as allies strive to strengthen their combined defence with actions, such as increasing and promoting training programs, amid fears that the North could intensify tensions by conducting an nuclear test or other provocative act.