Seoul's defence ministry said the drill, which begins on Monday, would last for five days, with tens of thousands of troops taking part.

Yonhap news agency said about 56,000 South Korean troops and 10,000 US soldiers would participate in the drill, codenamed Ulchi Freedom Guardian, which usually involves large-scale computer-simulated war games.

'This year's joint military drill will focus on checking the newly-proposed operational system led by South Korean forces and supported by US troops,' a defence ministry spokesman said here.

The US has stationed troops in South Korea since the end of the 1950-53 war and currently deploys 28,500 of them.

The alliance is currently undergoing a major change, as Seoul will in 2012 take over wartime operational control of its own troops, now under US command.

North Korea last month denounced the upcoming exercises as a 'criminal act' which would raise tensions on the divided Korean peninsula.

The military manoeuvres come as diplomatic efforts continue to put an end to North Korea's nuclear weapons programmes. The talks are currently at an impasse over how to verify that the North is holding up its end of the deal. -- AFP