By CHOE SANG-HUN
c.2010 New York Times News Service
SEOUL, South Korea – The United States and South Korea began their largest joint war games in years Sunday, with a nuclear-powered American aircraft carrier prowling off the east coast of South Korea while North Korea threatened to retaliate and reportedly put its military on alert for war.
The rising tensions demonstrated just how tenuous peace has been on the divided peninsula since the Korean War was halted, 57 years ago Tuesday, by a cease-fire between the U.S.-led forces of the United Nations and the communist troops of North Korea and China.
The latest escalation of tensions began in March when a South Korean warship was sunk, and 46 sailors died. A team of investigators from South Korea, the United States and several other countries determined in May that North Korea had torpedoed the ship.