美韓開始年度軍事演習

The United States and South Korea began their annual military exercises Monday, with officials describing the largely computer-simulated war games as defensive in nature.

The drills draw objections from North Korea, which sees them as a rehearsal for an invasion, and this year the exercises come after tensions on the peninsula shot up with North Korea's test-firing of intercontinental ballistic missiles last month.

A commentary in Sunday's editon of North Korea's state-run newspaper, Rodong Sinmun, said U.S. President Donald Trump and South Korean President Moon Jae-in are "playing with fire" by holding the drills and aggravating the already-tense situation on the Korean peninsula.

Moon said Monday it is North Korea's "continued provocations" that make the military exercises necessary.

"There is no intent at all to heighten military tension on the Korean peninsula as these drills are held annually and of a defensive nature," he said. "North Korea should not exaggerate our efforts to keep peace nor should they engage in provocations that would worsen the situation."

The exercises are schedule to run through August 31 and involve 17,500 U.S. troops and 50,000 South Korean military personnel.

The number of U.S. forces is lower than it was last year. U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said the reduction is not related to easing tensions with North Korea, but rather "by design to achieve the exercise objectives."美國和韓國星期一開始年度軍事演習。有關官員表示，這次防禦性質的演習大體上以電腦模擬爲主。

朝鮮對美韓的軍事演習表示反對，將演習視爲對入侵朝鮮的演練。今年的美韓軍事演習是在朝鮮上個月試射洲際彈道導彈引發朝鮮半島緊張局勢升級的背景下進行的。

朝鮮國營報紙《勞動新聞》星期天發表文章稱，美國總統川普與韓國總統文在寅搞軍事演習是在“玩兒火”，將加劇已經十分緊張的朝鮮半島局勢。

文在寅星期一表示，朝鮮不斷的挑釁行爲使美韓的軍事演習成爲必要。

他說：“演習沒有任何加劇朝鮮半島軍事緊張的意思，因爲美韓的軍事演習每年都舉行，而且是防禦性質的。朝鮮不應該誇大我們爲維護和平所做的努力，也不應採取使局勢惡化的挑釁行爲。”

美韓軍事演習預計將持續到8月31日，約有1萬7500名美軍和5萬名韓國軍事人員參加。

今年美軍參加演習的人數少於去年。美國國防部長馬蒂斯表示，減少參加演習美軍人數與緩和同朝鮮的緊張關係無關，而是“爲了達到演習目標而有意爲之”。