South Korea and the United States wrapped up their annual large-scale military drills on Sunday, but continued a separate joint naval exercise that has triggered dire threats from nuclear-armed North Korea.
Tensions on the Korean Peninsula have been running sky-high for weeks, with signs that the North might be preparing a long-range missile launch or a sixth nuclear test—and with Washington refusing to rule out a military strike in response, AFP reported.
The massive "Foal Eagle" drill, which the defense ministry in Seoul said was ending as scheduled on Sunday, involved around 20,000 South Korean and 10,000 US troops.
Another annual joint exercise known as "Key Resolve" ended last month.
Both play out scenarios for a conflict with North Korea, but Seoul and Washington insist they are purely defensive in nature, despite Pyongyang's claims that they are provocative rehearsals for invasion.
Their conclusion normally signals a period of relative calm in North-South tensions, but this year the situation looks set to remain highly volatile.
US President Donald Trump has warned of a possible “major conflict” while Pyongyang has carried out a series of failed missile tests, including one on Saturday, and a massive live- fire military exercise.
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