North Korea calls US military drills near peninsula 'rehearsal for invasion'

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US, South Korea launch joint military drills

Greg Palkot reports on the show of force in the region.

There is another round of sabre-rattling in the North Korea crisis – this time it’s the U.S. that is showing off its military might.

U.S. naval exercises are going on this week in the waters to the east and west of the Korean Peninsula. This includes the USS Michigan nuclear-powered submarine, which could be equipped with as many as 154 Tomahawk cruise missiles. And, reportedly, a Special Force team trained in taking out the North Korean leadership.

All told, some 40 ships from the US Navy’s Seventh fleet are involved, featuring the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan and destroyers, accompanied by fighter jets and other aircraft. They will all be running maneuvers with the South Korean Navy and Air Force.

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North Korea brands this a “rehearsal for invasion.”

Meanwhile, the anti-US propaganda machine of the North Korean regime of Kim Jong Un was working overtime this past weekend. The state news agency branded President Donald Trump a “war merchant” and a “strangler of peace.” They claim by selling weapons to South Korea and Japan, the administration is creating a “hair-trigger” situation on the Korean Peninsula.

The Pyongyang government, which conducts its own share of missile launches and nuclear tests, even went so far as dropping anti-President Trump leaflets from balloons sent over from North Korea.

The propaganda was said to be landing around the South Korean capital of Seoul. All of this a reminder of how “close-by" everything is on the peninsula. President Trump is set to visit the region next month.