(VOVworld) - US Army Secretary Eric Fanning said Saturday that annual military drills between the United States and South Korea would go ahead next month, despite North Korea's warning of a "vicious" showdown if the war games proceed.

South Korean army soldiers prepare to fire 105mm howitzers during an exercise in Paju, South Korea, near the border with North Korea, June 22, 2016.(Photo: Ahn Young-joon, AP)

On Thursday, North Korea's top diplomat for US affairs said that the nature of the maneuvers has become openly aggressive, and that Pyongyang is ready for war.
Fanning, who was in Malaysia as part of a regional tour, said that the US has conducted military drills with South Korea for decades, and that "these exercises contribute to stability, they don't compete with stability."