The US and South Korean launched joint military drills off the Korean Peninsula’s east coast Monday in a show of the strength against North Korean nuclear threats.
The drills are the first joint training between the two countries in five years and come one day after North Korea test-fired a short-range ballistic missile.
The training, which includes four days of drills, is aimed at demonstrating the allies’ “powerful resolve to respond to North Korean provocations” the South Korean navy said in a statement.
More than 20 U.S. and South Korean Navy ships, including the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan, a U.S. cruiser and South Korean and U.S. destroyers, were mobilized for the drills. U.S. and South Korean fighter jets and helicopters were also utilized, the Navy said.
The four days mark the the first joint drills involving a U.S. aircraft carrier near the peninsula since 2017, when America sent three carriers including the Reagan again for drills amid North Korean threats.
The allies had since cancelled or reduced some of their regular trainings, but relaunched them due to North Korea’s recent missile activity.
North Korea has tested a record number of missiles this year as its government refuses American and South Korean calls to resume nuclear diplomacy. North Korean leaders said they won’t step back into talks concerning a ceasefire unless the US drops sanctions and military aid to South Korea. ‘
The missile North Korea launched on Sunday flew about 370 miles at maximum altitude of 37 miles before falling into the waters off the North’s east coast, according to South Korean research.
With Post wires.
