[On-point] S. Korea, U.S. kick off joint military exercise --How will North Korea respond?

As we just heard, the joint military exercise between South Korea and the U.S. has now kicked off.

For more on this, we're joined by Professor Park Won-gon, Professor of North Korea studies at Ewha Womans University.

Professor Park, thanks for joining us this morning.

Half of the drills have been postponed to next month, but North Korea is continuing to take a hardline stance against Seoul and Washington. How might the North respond to the joint exercise, and what measures should South Korea take to improve inter-Korean relations?

South Korea took down propaganda loudspeakers near the border, but the North rejected the conciliatory gesture. Do you think this move had any effect?

In his Liberation Day address, President Lee said he hoped North Korea would return to the negotiating table. Will Lee's summit with Trump in Washington next week open the door for talks?

Instead of showing signs of returning to talks, North Korea seems to be strengthening relations with Russia, right?

Alright, Professor Park. Thank you so much for your insight today. We appreciate it.