Amid a rising navy risk from the North, South Korea and the United States are contemplating staging their first large-scale joint live-fire drills in six years in 2023, Seoul’s Defense Ministry mentioned Thursday.
The drills have been floated as South Korea and the United States focus on preparations for the seventieth anniversary of their alliance subsequent yr, ministry spokesperson Jeon Ha-gyu mentioned.
“Marking that occasion, we are exploring various ways to showcase our military’s presence and the alliance’s overwhelming deterrence capabilities against North Korea,” Jeon advised a daily briefing.
“A combined joint live-fire demonstration can be one of the options.”
The demonstration can be one other joint show of power to be resumed following a years-long hiatus underneath new South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, who pledged to bolster navy capabilities and readiness to discourage North Korea’s weapons improvement.
On Tuesday, the United States flew its F-22 Raptor stealth fighters for joint drills with South Korea for the primary time since 2018, hours after North Korea criticized each nations and vowed extra missile checks.
In September, the allies staged their first workout routines with a U.S. plane provider since 2018.
Such workout routines had been halted underneath Yoon’s predecessor, Moon Jae-in, who had prioritized engagement with the North, which denounced them as a rehearsal for invasion.
North Korea has examined an unprecedented variety of missiles this yr, together with intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) designed to strike the U.S. mainland.
It has additionally accomplished preparations for what can be its first nuclear check since 2017, Seoul and Washington officers mentioned.
