US, South Korea conduct joint Navy drills to counter N.Korea threat
South Korea and the United States began week-long joint Navy drills in the waters around the Korean peninsula on Monday, amid high tensions over North Korea's nuclear and missile programme.
About 40 Navy ships from both countries, including the nuclear-powered USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier, are taking part in the exercises on the east and west coasts of the peninsula from October 16 to October 20, a spokesman for the South's defence ministry said on Monday.
North Korea has called joint military exercises by the United States and South Korea as a "rehearsal for war".
On Sunday, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said that President Donald Trump had instructed him to continue diplomatic efforts to calm rising tensions with North Korea, saying "those diplomatic efforts will continue until the first bomb drops".
