Defense Minister Han Min-koo inspected an on-going joint South Korea-U.S. military exercise on Wednesday as the joint drills between the allies continued for the 10th day despite North Korea's relentless protests.

"As the South Korea-U.S. alliance has hardened through hardship and ordeal, this Key Resolve exercise, held amid the on-going crisis, will further solidify the alliance," the top defense official said during his visit to the allies' Combined Forces Command, located inside U.S. military headquarters in Yongsan, central Seoul.

The two countries kicked off the computer-based command post warfare exercise Key Resolve on March 7 along with the Foal Eagle field training.

With the beginning of the annual exercise, North Korea has issued near-daily military threats including nuclear attack warnings, and has denounced the drills as "an operation to advance into Pyongyang." (Yonhap)