South Korean defense ministry announces end of military drills with US

        
The two-month-long South Korean and United States' joint military drills ended on Tuesday.      

But tensions in the Korean Peninsula remain high after South Korea decided to pull out all of its remaining managers and workers at the South Korea-North Korea joint industrial factory complex in Kaesong, North Korea.      

"The Key Resolve and Foal Eagle exercises, which have been taking place for two months, ended today," said South Korean defense ministry spokesman Kim Min-seok. 

"However, South Korean and the US militaries will continue to closely observe North Korea's possible provocations including the missile launch and its other movements."      

In recent weeks, North Korea has ratcheted up tension on the divided peninsula, threatening to attack the US and South Korea over the military drills and sanctions imposed for its February nuclear test.      

Pyongyang calls the annual drills a rehearsal for invasion on North Korea.        

South Korean officials have also said the North is poised to test-fire a medium-range missile capable of reaching the American territory of Guam.        

Seoul and Washington officials say they are defensive in nature, and insist they have no intention of invading the North.      

The US has about 28,500 troops in South Korea to help deter potential aggression from North Korea, a legacy of the 1950-53 Korean War.           

That war ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty.


AP