Seoul , South Korea ( CNN ) -- Members of the South Korean military protested on the streets of the nation 's capital Saturday , stating that they were angry that their country 's government had not done enough to respond to recent shelling by North Korea . One group of protesters gathered near the defense ministry building Saturday . The crowd clashed with police officers , some charging and kicking officers . The protests come as tensions between the Koreas are growing . The United States is sending the aircraft carrier USS George Washington to join South Korea 's forces near the coasts of China and North Korea in a four-day drill military drill that starts Sunday . The drill is set to begin five days after North Korea shelled a South Korean island , killing four South Koreans and wounding 15 others .
Protests come as tensions between the Koreas are growing . The North Korean government has said it will not negotiate with South Korea until Pyongyang receives a guarantee that Seoul would stop its nuclear and missile tests if Washington halts joint military exercises in exchange for an end to