Seoul and Washington Wednesday began their annual joint military exercises amid heightened tension in the Korean peninsula owing to Pyongyang’s latest missile tests and the alleged murder of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s half-brother.

The first of these maneuvers, called Foal Eagle, which includes aerial, terrestrial and naval exercises, will continue until the end of April, announced the South Korean Defense Ministry.

This drill will be followed by the Key Resolve exercise, involving computer simulation, on March 13.

The United States will also employ aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson, F-35 and the bombers B-1B and B-52 during these drills, defense ministry sources told Yonhap news agency.

Pyongyang has repeatedly protested against these joint military maneuvers, which it considers a trial for a future invasion of its territory.

The latest drills come after the alleged murder in Malaysia of Kim Jong-nam that Seoul claims was plotted by Pyongyang.

The North Korean regime had also launched a medium-range missile on Feb. 12, the first since US President Donald Trump took office.

The two Koreas remain technically at war since the Korean War (1950-1953) ended with an armistice that was never replaced with a final peace treaty.

Washington currently maintains 28,500 troops on South Korean territory. — EFE