SEOUL:  US commanders in South Korea used a bullhorn to notify North Korean troops across the border of upcoming military exercises after Pyongyang refused to accept a phone call, an official said Wednesday.

The United States and South Korea Tuesday announced that a major exercise -- the first in a series -- would start Sunday as a warning to the North, following its alleged torpedo attack on a South Korean warship in March.

The North denies attacking the ship and has described the five-day drill in the Sea of Japan as "very dangerous sabre-rattling" aimed at igniting a nuclear war.

The US-led United Nations Command, based in the South since the end of the 1950-53 war, notified the North Tuesday of the exercise details -- as it does before any joint drills.

"Those on the other end refused to take the (phone) communication," said Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell.

"So we had to resort to communicating on the intention to conduct a series of exercises via bullhorn across the demarcation line (marking the border)," he said.
The UN Command, using more conventional communications, also notified China, Russia and Japan of the schedule for the July 25-28 exercise involving around 20 ships, 200 planes and 8,000 service personnel.

US and South Korean forces hold annual war games that they describe as purely defensive, while the North terms them a preparation for war.
BDST: 0903 HRS, July 21, 2010