U.S. and South Korea to hold joint military exercises
2022.12.22 01:03
U.S. and South Korea to hold joint military exercises
By Kristina Sobol
Budrigannews.com – Seoul’s defense ministry announced on Thursday that the United States and South Korea are considering holding their first large-scale joint live-fire demonstration in six years in 2023 in response to increasing military threats from North Korea.
According to ministry spokesperson Jeon Ha-gyu, the drills have been discussed amid preparations for the 70th anniversary of their alliance next year.
In a regular briefing, Jeon stated, “We are exploring various ways to demonstrate our military presence and the alliance’s overwhelming deterrence capabilities against North Korea.”
“One of the options could be a joint joint live-fire demonstration.”
After a hiatus of several years, the new South Korean president Yoon Suk-yeol promised to increase military readiness and capabilities to prevent North Korea from developing weapons. The demonstration would be another joint show of force.
For the first time since 2018, the United States flew its F-22 Raptor stealth fighters on Tuesday for joint drills with South Korea, just hours after North Korea criticized both nations and promised additional missile tests.
The allies conducted their first exercises with a US aircraft carrier since 2018 in September.
Moon Jae-in, Yoon’s predecessor, prioritized engagement with the North and halted such exercises because the North regarded them as preparation for invasion.
More Myanmar does not listen to UN and continues violence
This year, North Korea has tested an unprecedented number of missiles, including ICBMs that are designed to strike the U.S. mainland. Additionally, it has concluded preparations for its first nuclear test since 2017, according to Seoul and Washington officials.
