SEOUL: South Korea, Japan, and the United States recently conducted long-planned joint naval exercises, featuring an American aircraft carrier, to enhance readiness against nuclear and missile threats from North Korea, according to Seoul’s navy.
North Korea has been intensifying its weapons development, including testing solid-fuel hypersonic missiles last week. Leader Kim Jong Un emphasized the need to be prepared for war, citing an unstable geopolitical situation.
The exercises focused on anti-submarine warfare drills to bolster responses to North Korean underwater threats, including submarines and submarine-launched ballistic missiles. Held in international waters between South Korea and Japan, the two-day drills involved the aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt and destroyers Howard, Russell, and Daniel Inouye, alongside warships from the participating nations.
These exercises aimed to enhance the combined capability of South Korea, Japan, and the US in addressing North Korea’s threats, aligning with a multi-year joint exercise plan established after last year’s three-way summit, as outlined by the South Korean navy.
In addition to anti-submarine drills, the navies practiced maritime interdiction exercises to prevent North Korea’s illicit transport of weapons of mass destruction and conducted search and rescue training to support distressed ships.
Meanwhile, in Washington, South Korean and US defense officials conducted annual defense talks on Thursday. They reaffirmed plans for tabletop exercises simulating North Korea’s use of a nuclear weapon during upcoming summer drills, according to Seoul’s defense ministry.
