Seoul, Ramadan 16, 1432, Aug 16, 2011, SPA - South Korea and the United States began an annual joint military exercise Tuesday in South Korea, officials said. The forces were to run computer-generated conflict simulation across several command posts until August 26, a spokesman for the United States Forces Korea (USFK) was quoted as saying by the German Press Agency "DPA". The latest edition of operation Ulchi Freedom Guardian, first launched in 1975, would make use of "the alliance's recent experiences with North Korean provocations on the peninsula," said General James Thurman, commander of the USFK and the joint US-Korean forces. --SPA 12:05 LOCAL TIME 09:05 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/918277