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Defense News - South Korea / United States
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| Tuesday, August
21, 2012, 01:04 PM |
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| Army
of United States and South Korea launch joint military exercises. |
South
Korea and the United States on Monday launched a joint exercise aimed
at enhancing defense readiness against potential security threats here,
military officials said. The computer-assisted simulation exercise, dubbed
Ulchi Freedom Guardian (UFG), will mobilize some 56,000 South Korean troops
and 30,000 U.S. forces.
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South Korean army soldiers stage a military drill to test defences against
North Korea in Seoul on August 20, 2012. US and South Korean troops began
an annual major joint exercise despite protests by Pyongyang which vowed
to strengthen its nuclear deterrent.
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"It is based
on realistic scenarios and enables us to train on our essential tasks
with a 'whole of government' approach," he added.
The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK)'s army has been informed
of the launch of the annual drill and its non- provocative nature, according
to officials.
The DPRK, which is technically still at war with South Korea since the
1950-53 Korean War ended with a truce, warned last week the joint training
can lead to a "sacred war".
Kim Jong Un, top leader of the DPRK, inspected a front-line artillery
unit days before Seoul and Washington are to launch their annual joint
exercises, state media reported on Saturday.
During his visit to the unit of the Korean People's Army (KPA) on the
DRPK's border Mu Islet on the southwest front, Kim praised service members
as heroes and told them never to tolerate any enemy aggression, the
official news agency KCNA reported.
"If the enemy dares recklessly preempt firing and even a single
shell drops on the territory of the DPRK, the KPA should lead the battle
to a sacred war for national reunification, not confining it to a local
war on the southwest region," Kim was quoted by the KCNA as saying.
"He also ordered it to turn the west sea into a graveyard of the
invaders," the KCNA report said.
Kim, also Supreme Commander of the KPA, carefully watched Yonphyong
Island from the post and expressed satisfaction over the combat posture
of the detachment, according to the report.
The DPRK and South Korea exchanged fierce artillery fire near Yonphyong
Island in November 2010, killing four South Koreans. Both sides accused
the other of firing the first shot.
"This islet is not only the biggest hotspot on the Korean Peninsula
but a very sensitive area on which world attention is focused and where
the interests of many countries are intermingled, " Kim was quoted
as saying.
Kim slammed the United States and South Korea for "threatening
peace and stability of not only the DPRK but of the region and the rest
of the world," as the two often stage provocative war drills in
those waters of the sea.
The drill is scheduled to end on Aug. 31.
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