SEOUL, Apr.1 (YPA) – The South Korean Defense Ministry announced kicking off  a joint military exercise involving U.S. and South Korean troops in South Korea on Sunday, according to news agencies.

More than 11,500 US servicemen, including thousands living outside Korea, plan to participate in the four-week Foal Eagle training alongside about  300,000 South Korean soldiers.

Some observers said Seoul and Washington played a low role amid the decline of North Korea’s provocations.

The exercise comes as North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is preparing for summit talks with South Korean President Mon Jijan and US President Donald Trump this spring.

The Foal Eagle training was shortened to one month, with no major US strategic assets such as aircraft carriers and advanced nuclear submarines expected to appear in the exercises.

The news agency said the allies would begin the main solution exercise, the war simulation game, for two weeks on April 23, where up to 12,200 US troops would be mobilized.

Sameera Hassn