Joint Drills with U.S. Will Be Biggest Ever

This year's Korea-U.S. military exercises scheduled for March and April will be largest ever, according to a spokesman on Monday.

"There's consensus between Seoul and Washington that this year's Key Resolve/Foal Eagle exercises should be bigger in scale than those of last year, which were the largest so far, because of the clear and present threat of North Korea's long-range missiles," the spokesman said.

Washington hopes to send several so-called strategic assets like an aircraft carrier fleet and B-1B bombers.

The USS John C. Stennis aircraft carrier fleet took part in last year's exercises, but this year it is likely to be the USS Carl Vinson, which has arrived in Asia Pacific waters recently.