It really seems to me that the media is desperate for a story and are really hyping these military exercises in South Korea:

Tensions rippled across the Korean peninsula as South Korea geared up for its largest land and air winter drills on Thursday, maneuvers choreographed in the shadow of its reclusive tough-talking communist neighbor.

The South Korean army said Wednesday that the long-planned drills will be held just 15 miles from its longtime adversary North Korea, whose nuclear aspirations strike worry in Seoul and in capitals across the world.

More than 800 military personnel will take part in the exercise in Pocheon, a media officer from the South Korean army said, and it will include six fighter jets, anti-tank missiles, and involve more than 100 types of weapons.  [CNN]

I have already commented on how naive Wolf Blitzer is about North Korea and now here is CNN telling us that a military exercise in Pocheon is something to get worked up about.  Just up the road from Pocheon is where the Korea Training Center is located at and large military exercises happen there all the time.  I have conducted more Bradley gunneries there than I can remember.  In the above Google Earth image you can see KTC for yourself.  Like most of the major ranges it is located near the DMZ.  I wouldn’t be surprised if they were using the nearby Nightmare Range for these exercises as well.  As far as 800 Soldiers participating that is actually small compared to other training exercises I have participated in while stationed in Korea.

Bottom line is that these training exercises go on all the time there and are nothing new other than the media making note of them now.