US-SKorea begin military drill amidst North's retaliation threat

ABOARD USS GEORGE WASHINGTON, July 25: A nuclear-powered U.S. supercarrier led an armada of warships in exercises off the Korean peninsula on Sunday that North Korea has vowed to physically block and says could escalate into nuclear war.



U.S. military officials said the maneuvers, conducted with South Korean ships and Japanese observers, were intended to send a strong signal to the North that aggression in the region will not be tolerated. [break]



Tensions on the Korean peninsula have been particularly high since the sinking in March of a South Korean naval vessel. Forty-six Korean sailors were killed in the sinking, which Seoul has called Pyongyang´s worst military attack on it since the 1950-53 Korean War.



The military drills, code-named "Invincible Spirit," are to run through Wednesday with about 8,000 U.S. and South Korean troops, 20 ships and submarines and 200 aircraft. The Nimitz-class USS George Washington was deployed from Japan.



"We are showing our resolve," said Capt. David Lausman, the carrier´s commanding officer.



North Korea has protested the drills, threatening to retaliate with "nuclear deterrence" and "sacred war."

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