South Korea and USA want to hold military exercises in the Pentagon

South Korea and the United States plan to hold joint military exercises in Washington next week. As announced by the Ministry of Defense in Seoul on Friday, the use of American nuclear weapons is to be discussed as part of a defense strategy to counter threats from North Korea. The drills, dubbed the "Deterrence Strategy Committee Tabletop Exercise," are scheduled for Feb. 22 at the Pentagon. Senior defense politicians from both sides will be involved, the ministry said. These are the first exercises of this type since the two countries agreed last year to hold them annually. The South Korean delegation will be led by Deputy Defense Minister Heo Tae-keun. The US team reports to Siddharth Mohandas, Assistant Secretary of Defense for East Asia, and Richard Johnson, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Nuclear Policy and Combating Weapons of Mass Destruction.

Pyongyang is considering additional measures
The reason for military exercises of this kind is the growing nuclear threat from North Korea, according to the South Korean Defense Ministry. North Korea has launched a large number of missiles over the past year, including ICBMs, which could have hit anywhere in the United States. In addition, the country has resumed its first nuclear test since 2017. North Korea reacted promptly to the announcement by the two countries on Friday and threatened "strong reactions" if South Korea and the USA should continue the planned military exercises. A statement by North Korea's foreign ministry, shared by the state news agency KCNA, said it would consider additional military action if the UN Security Council, under US influence, continued to exert pressure on Pyongyang.