Korea and the U.S. are set to wrap up their annual joint military exercise, called the Key Resolve, later Friday, officials said.
The exercise mobilized about 200,000 Korean troops and some 2,900 U.S. troops, including 800 from overseas. The Key Resolve began on Feb. 27.
During the exercise, the allies discussed ways to prevent the leaking of North Korean weapons of mass destruction outside the peninsula in contingencies. They also talked about how to handle a large group of North Korean refugees in such cases.
North Korea made war threats before and during the exercise last month, accusing the South and the U.S. of preparing for a northward invasion.
During the Key Resolve, the allies mobilized their surveillance assets, such as radar and reconnaissance planes, and the South's Air Force placed its F-15K fighters on emergency standby.
North Korea also reportedly placed its front-line units on heightened alert.
"North Korea carried out live-firing drills and fighter jet training during the Key Resolve," a South Korean military official said. "But we haven't yet detected symptoms of any immediate military provocation."
From March 1 to April 30, the South and the U.S. will also hold the Foal Eagle, a joint exercise that will include about 11,000 U.S. forces plus South Korean troops in division-sized or smaller units. (Yonhap)