South Koreans protest against ongoing US-South Korea joint military exercise

South Koreans held a protest at the Port of Busan on Sunday where South Korean and U.S. military are conducting joint military exercises of "Key Resolve" and "Ssangyong" or "Double Dragon". More than 17,200 soldiers are participating in this year's landing exercise of Double Dragon, the largest ever in history. At the military exercise site, some South Korean residents chanted slogans and waved banners, such as "We Want Peace," "No War," "Stop Military Exercise," and "No Deployment of THAAD system," to express their opposition to the exercise. On Sunday also, U.S. nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis arrived at Busana joining the ongoing Key Resolve military exercise between South Korea and the United States from March 7 to 18. Along with the Key Resolve exercise, the South Korean and U.S. marines are also conducting their annual "Ssangyong" or "Double Dragon" landing exercise, as an important part of the Foal Eagle field training exercise. This year, Double Dragon which is held every two years, also involves about 30 warships, 200 military vehicles and about 70 aircrafts. The Australian Army and Royal New Zealand Army Forces also engaged in the exercise for the first time, according to the U.S. Navy. Ssang Yong coincides with U.S.-South Korean drills known as "Foal Eagle", which are also currently taking place in the region and which involve about 17,000 American troops and more than 300,000 South Koreans.