South Korea’s military said Thursday it would stage a major exercise nationwide next week, including near the tense sea border with North Korea, to guard against potential attacks.
The army, air force, navy and marines would conduct the annual Hoguk exercise from October 27 to November 4, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said. Defensive drills for islands in the Yellow Sea would be part of it.
“Defence training at the northwestern islands will be staged to deal with threats of attack in the area and to improve operational capability,” the JCS spokesman told reporters without giving details of the exercise.
North Korea habitually denounces such military manoeuvres as a rehearsal for invasion.
Yonhap news agency said the drill at the sea border would involve a fleet of destroyers and frigates as well as attack helicopters and jet fighters armed with air-to-surface missiles.
Nationwide, the drill would involve live-fire exercises and some 140,000 troops including some 500 US marines and sailors, Yonhap said.
The flashpoint disputed border off the west coast was the scene of deadly naval clashes in 1999, 2002 and 2009. One of the border islands was attacked last November by the North’s artillery and four South Koreans were killed.
Cross-border tensions have been high since Seoul accused Pyongyang of torpedoing a warship with the loss of 46 lives in March 2010.
The North denied the charge but went on to shell the Yeonpyeong border island, briefly sparking fears of war.
Seoul since then has staged a series of military exercises either alone or jointly with its ally the United States in a show of force.
