US and South Korea begin joint military exercises, sparking anger from Kim Jong Un

The United States and South Korea began their annual military exercises on Monday, with new maneuvers aimed at containing the North with actions such as combating cyberattacks.

The drills, dubbed Ulchi Freedom Shield will run through Aug. 29 with actions aimed at "reflecting realistic threats in all areas," including North Korean missiles and GPS jamming, the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a release picked up by AFP. The General Staff added that the exercises will strengthen the "capability and posture to deter and defend against weapons of mass destruction."

Some 19,000 South Korean troops from land, sea and air, as well as cyber and space domains, will participate. For its part, no details of the U.S. participation were initially disclosed.

North Korea's hostile actions

Pyongyang launched thousands of garbage-laden balloons in recent months at its southern neighbor and has attempted to block South Korean GPS signals to protest activists in South Korea launching propaganda-laden balloons toward the North.

The Seoul municipal government will also conduct drills to prepare the population for the arrival of North Korean garbage balloons or drone attacks.

"We are currently facing the world's most reckless and irrational North Korean provocations and threats," South Korean President, Yoon Suk Yeol told a Cabinet meeting on Monday. "In recent years, they have not hesitated to launch GPS jamming attacks and make low-level provocations such as launching garbage balloons," he added.

South Korean and U.S. maneuvers often infuriate the North, which sees them as a rehearsal for an invasion, and often conducts weapons tests in response.

North Korean state media on Sunday slammed the drills, which it called "dangerous and serious." For its part, North Korea's Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying the drills are "provocative war drills for aggression." The ministry asserted that the North's nuclear ambitions are thus justified, adding that it is crucial to "constantly maintain the balance of power to avert a war by stockpiling the strongest deterrence."

The United States is a key ally of South Korea and maintains some 28,500 troops in the Asian country to support its defense of its nuclear-armed neighbor.