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South Korea to hold ‘largest-ever’ live-fire drills with US
- The June drills, ostensibly aimed at ‘North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats’, are expected to draw attention from other countries, including China
- Beijing has said it’s been watching the situation on the Korean peninsula with concern – and blamed the US for stoking tensions
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South Korea plans to hold its “largest-ever” live-fire drills with the United States in a move certain to anger North Korea, which has ramped up its provocations to new levels in response to recent military exercises.
The joint drills, which will involve mobilising hi-tech military equipment, are planned for June as part of a programme to mark the 70th anniversary of the alliance between South Korea and the US, South Korea’s defence ministry said in a statement Wednesday.
“The programme is designed to showcase the ability of the two nations to materialise peace through strength via action, amid stern security situations arising from North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats,” the statement said.
02:51
US and its allies condemn latest North Korean missile launches at UN Security Council meeting
US and its allies condemn latest North Korean missile launches at UN Security Council meeting
South Korea and the US this week are winding down one of their largest joint training drills in years. North Korea has responded with threats to turn the Pacific Ocean into a firing range and shot off weapons that included a missile designed to strike the US with a nuclear bomb, new missiles to hit US military bases in South Korea and a test of a mock nuclear warhead affixed to a missile.
The joint drills had been scaled down or halted under former President Donald Trump, who was hoping the move would facilitate his nuclear negotiations with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. Those talks led to no concrete steps to wind down Kim’s nuclear arsenal, which only grew larger as the talks sputtered.
The live-fire drills are also expected to draw attention from neighbouring countries, including China. The country’s foreign ministry has said Beijing has been watching the situation on the Korean peninsula with concern – and blamed the US for stoking tensions.
North Korea, which has fired 13 ballistic missiles since February 18, has for years called joint drills a prelude to an invasion and nuclear war. The US and South Korea in January announced plans to step up the scale of their joint military exercises. Japan, which North Korea regards as mortal enemy, has also joined some of the drills in recent months.
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