South Korea and the United States launched an annual joint military exercise today despite warnings from Pyongyang that the drill will damage hopes for peace on the peninsula. The bilateral Combined Forces Command says, it is conducting the 10-day, computer-assisted exercise to improve its ability to defend South Korea against a possible attack from North Korea. U.S. General James D. Thurman, the CFC commander, says the forces are applying lessons learned in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as those garnered by the Alliance's recent experiences with North Korean provocations. North Korea appealed last week for the exercise to be cancelled, saying it would undermine efforts to restart talks aimed at dismantling North Korea's nuclear weapons programmes.