SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - The U.S. and South Korean defense chiefs say they will hold military exercises starting Sunday as part of efforts to sharpen their readiness against North Korean aggression.

U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates and South Korea's Kim Tae-Young made the announcement after holding talks in Seoul on Tuesday.

The two said the drills to be held July 25-28 are designed to send a “clear message to North Korea that its aggressive behavior must stop” in the wake of the march sinking of a South Korean warship blamed on Pyongyang.

Gates arrived in South Korea late Monday for a series of high-profile security talks with South Korean officials. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton joins a conference with gates and their South Korean counterparts on Wednesday.
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