South Korea, US launch joint summer exercises

WORLD, Aug. 20 (YPA) -South Korea and the United States have begun summer exercises aimed at enhancing their joint defensive capabilities in response to actions by North Korea that escalate tensions, according to a report by South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency.

The South Korean General Staff indicated in a statement that the drills are intended to boost defenses against Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons. The exercises include scenarios involving land, sea, air, space, and cyberattacks.

Approximately 48 training sessions are expected to take place, including live ammunition drills, with around 19,000 South Korean soldiers participating.

During a visit to the front lines last week, South Korean Chief of Staff Kim Myung-soo stated that North Korea might use these exercises as a “pretext for provocation” and instructed his forces to respond similarly in the event of any provocation.

@E.Y.M