US and South Korea prepare for massive war games after North threatens attack on Guam

US and South Korean military officials plan to move ahead with large-scale exercises later this month that North Korea, now finalising plans to launch a salvo of missiles towards Guam, claims are a rehearsal for war.

The exercises are an annual event, but come as Pyongyang says it is readying a plan to fire off four “Hwasong-12” missiles towards the US colony and major military hub. The plan would be sent to leader Kim Jong-un for approval just before or as the US-South Korea exercises begin.

Called Ulchi-Freedom Guardian, the exercises are expected to run from August 21-31 and involve tens of thousands of American and South Korean troops on the ground and in the sea and air. Washington and Seoul say the exercises are defensive in nature and crucial to maintaining a deterrent against North Korean aggression.

The exercises were scheduled well before tensions began to rise over US President Donald Trump’s increasingly fiery rhetoric and North Korea’s announcement of the missile plan, which would be its most provocative launch yet. Along with a bigger set of manoeuvres held every spring, the exercises are routinely met by strong condemnation and threats of countermeasures from North Korea.

While tensions typically spike around the dates of the exercises, the situation generally calms afterward.