South Korea and the US will start annual navy workouts in the summertime in response to North Korean assaults | Photograph credit score: AP
South Korea and the US will start annual summer time navy workouts subsequent week to spice up their capability to counter North Korea’s weapons and cyber threats, officers mentioned Monday (Aug. 12, 2024).
The Ulchi Freedom Protect workouts, which can happen from August 19 to 29, come as North Korea continues to develop its nuclear and missile packages and makes an attempt to launch reconnaissance satellites.
The workouts will replicate “sensible threats” throughout the board, together with missile threats from North Korea but in addition GPS jamming, cyberattacks and different classes realized from current incidents, the militaries of each international locations mentioned in an announcement.
The alliance will “additional strengthen its functionality and posture to discourage and defend in opposition to weapons of mass destruction,” Col. Lee Sung-jun, spokesman for South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Employees, mentioned at a briefing.
Mr Lee mentioned the South Korean navy would additionally assist the simultaneous government-led Ulchi civil defence workouts, that are happening within the situation of a nuclear assault by North Korea.
About 19,000 South Korean troops, much like 2023, will take part in 48 rounds of mixed area coaching, together with area maneuvers, reside fireplace and amphibious workouts, he mentioned.
Col. Ryan Donald, a spokesman for U.S. Forces Korea, mentioned the annual workouts had been among the many largest within the Indo-Pacific area and would contain member states of the United Nations Command.
Pyongyang has lengthy denounced the allies for stoking tensions with navy workouts, calling them rehearsals for nuclear struggle.
Seoul and Washington say the workouts are defensive and a response to threats from North Korea.
