South Korean and U.S. kick off their annual Key Resolve military exercises on Mar.8, despite the strong opposition by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).

According to the spokesman, the exercises are aimed at rehearsing how to deploy the combined reinforcements in time of an emergency.

The exercises, scheduled for Mar. 8-18, involve about 38,000 soldiers both from U.S. and South Korean. Among them, 10,000 troops are stationed in South Korean and 8,000 from other U.S. military bases.

The DPRK military has repeatedly demanded the U.S. military to cancel the exercises. A spokesman for the DPRK's general staff said Monday that his country will mobilize "the most powerful military means" to retaliate against the exercises.