South Korea and the United States kicked off annual joint military drills Monday with a focus on preparing Seoul to retake wartime command of its forces from Washington in 2012. The drill _ called Ulchi Freedom Guardian _ is a computer-simulated war game. South Korean forces will take on more leadership this year in preparation for the coming command transfer, according to South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff and the U.S. military. The drill, which runs through Thursday, involves 56,000 South Korean troops and 10,000 U.S. soldiers in South Korea and abroad, the Associated Press reported. South Korean President Lee Myung-bak presided over a meeting of his country's National Security Council as part of civil defense drills related to the exercise. He later convened a Cabinet meeting in an underground bunker at the presidential office and told ministers not to let their guard down concerning inter-Korean relations, according to his office.
