<p>South Korea staged a naval exercise involving US surveillance aircraft today, flexing its military muscles at a time of high tensions on the Korean Peninsula following the North's third nuclear test.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Day one of a six-day drill in the East Sea (Sea of Japan) involved South Korean warships and submarines, as well as surveillance planes from the United States, the defence ministry in Seoul said.<br /><br />The exercises will practise operations to detect and track North Korean missiles and submarines, the ministry added.<br /><br />"The drill is aimed at testing our readiness against threats from the enemy," a spokesman told AFP.<br /><br />It is the latest in a series of military exercises, which have been staged alone by South Korea or jointly with the United States since the North launched a long-range rocket on December 12.<br /><br />Earlier this month Seoul and Washington conducted a joint naval exercise with a US nuclear submarine off South Korea's east coast, followed by a joint airforce drill.<br /><br />Pyongyang insists the December launch put a satellite into orbit for peaceful research, but critics said it amounted to a banned ballistic missile test that marked a major advance for the communist state's nuclear weapons programme.<br /><br />Following the North's nuclear test on February 12, the South vowed to accelerate the development of longer-range ballistic missiles and new cruise missiles capable of a precision strike on members of Pyongyang's high command.<br /><br />North Korea said the test -- widely condemned by the international community -- was a direct response to UN sanctions imposed on Pyongyang after last year's rocket launch.<br />Pyongyang is already under international sanctions for conducting two nuclear tests in 2006 and 2009, which both came after long-range rocket launches.<br /><br />South Korea's outgoing President Lee Myung-Bak said Pyongyang was drawing closer to "a dead-end" by inviting isolation and sanctions from the international community.<br /><br />"Though North Korea is congratulating itself on the success of the test, neither nuclear power nor missiles will protect them," he said in a farewell speech today.<br />Lee will leave office next week</p>
<p>South Korea staged a naval exercise involving US surveillance aircraft today, flexing its military muscles at a time of high tensions on the Korean Peninsula following the North's third nuclear test.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Day one of a six-day drill in the East Sea (Sea of Japan) involved South Korean warships and submarines, as well as surveillance planes from the United States, the defence ministry in Seoul said.<br /><br />The exercises will practise operations to detect and track North Korean missiles and submarines, the ministry added.<br /><br />"The drill is aimed at testing our readiness against threats from the enemy," a spokesman told AFP.<br /><br />It is the latest in a series of military exercises, which have been staged alone by South Korea or jointly with the United States since the North launched a long-range rocket on December 12.<br /><br />Earlier this month Seoul and Washington conducted a joint naval exercise with a US nuclear submarine off South Korea's east coast, followed by a joint airforce drill.<br /><br />Pyongyang insists the December launch put a satellite into orbit for peaceful research, but critics said it amounted to a banned ballistic missile test that marked a major advance for the communist state's nuclear weapons programme.<br /><br />Following the North's nuclear test on February 12, the South vowed to accelerate the development of longer-range ballistic missiles and new cruise missiles capable of a precision strike on members of Pyongyang's high command.<br /><br />North Korea said the test -- widely condemned by the international community -- was a direct response to UN sanctions imposed on Pyongyang after last year's rocket launch.<br />Pyongyang is already under international sanctions for conducting two nuclear tests in 2006 and 2009, which both came after long-range rocket launches.<br /><br />South Korea's outgoing President Lee Myung-Bak said Pyongyang was drawing closer to "a dead-end" by inviting isolation and sanctions from the international community.<br /><br />"Though North Korea is congratulating itself on the success of the test, neither nuclear power nor missiles will protect them," he said in a farewell speech today.<br />Lee will leave office next week</p>