South Korea and US forces have launched an 11-day land and sea exercise, in the face of North Korean protests that such “sabre-rattling” could lead to military confrontation.

韩国与美国开始了为期11天的陆地和海上军事演习，尽管朝鲜抗议这种“武力恫吓”可能会引发军事对抗。

Exercise Key Resolve, the second phase of the allies’ annual war games, went ahead as planned on Monday and will involve 13,500 troops. The war games have sparked angry rhetoric from Pyongyang, which also condemned new UN sanctions imposed in response to its recent rocket launch and nuclear device test.

代号“关键决断”(Key Resolve)的演习是韩美同盟年度军事演习的第二阶段。演习本周一如期举行，将有1.35万兵力参加此次演习。韩美军演引发了朝鲜方面的愤怒回应，朝鲜还谴责了联合国因其最近的火箭发射和核试验而对其施加的制裁。

“It is the US imperialists’ trite method of aggression to tighten sanctions and escalate the moves to stifle [North Korea] militarily,” state media said on Sunday.

朝鲜国家媒体周日表示：“这又是美帝国主义老一套的侵略行径，其手段就是加强制裁，同时加大（对朝鲜的）军事遏制。”

On Monday, North Korea ceased responding to routine checks on a hotline used for communication with South Korean officials, Seoul said. This is the first time it has done so since the hotline was revived in January 2011, and follows a similar breach of routine communication with US forces last week.

韩国方面表示，韩朝之间有一条热线电话，本周一朝鲜方面不再回应对这条热线的例行检查。这是2011年1月份这一热线重新启用以来朝鲜方面首次这么做，上周朝鲜方面也同样中断了与美国军方的例行对话。

Tensions have risen as North Korea responded angrily to last week’s new UN sanctions against it, which require states to inspect any suspicious cargo heading to or from the country. Pyongyang has pronounced itself ready for a “second Korean war” – a longstanding theme in its propaganda.

自上周联合国对朝鲜施加新一轮制裁以来，朝鲜方面的愤怒回应导致紧张局势升级。在这一轮制裁中，各国被要求检查任何来自朝鲜和发往朝鲜的可疑货物。朝鲜方面宣称他们已经为“第二次朝鲜战争”做好准备，长期以来“第二次朝鲜战争”始终是朝鲜宣传的主题。

“North Korea routinely issues threatening rhetoric against the South and the US whenever there are military drills or UN Security Council sanctions,” said Lee Woo-young, a professor at Seoul’s University of North Korean Studies.

首尔朝鲜研究大学(University of North Korean Studies)教授Lee Woo-young表示：“每当韩美举行军事演习或者联合国安理会(UN Security Council)制裁朝鲜时，朝鲜都会照例向韩美发出威胁性言论。”

However, the sheer volume of belligerent statements from the North has put Seoul on alert, a South Korean official said.

然而，一位韩国官员表示，朝鲜发出的高分贝好战声明已经引起韩国的警觉。