World News | South Korea, the United States and Japan hold anti-DPRK submarine exercises

SEOUL, Sept. 30 (AP) South Korean, U.S. and Japanese warships launched their first anti-submarine exercises in five years on Friday, after North Korea resumed a ballistic missile test this week in an apparent response to bilateral training between South Korean and U.S. troops.

North Korea recently fired five missiles, the first such test in a month, and before and after U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris visited South Korea on Thursday and reaffirmed the “ironclad” U.S. commitment to the security of its Asian allies. of.

Also read | North Korea fired a ballistic missile hours after U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris met with South Korean President Yoon Sik-yeol in Seoul.

The one-day trilateral training on the east coast of the Korean peninsula is aimed at responding to North Korea’s push to improve its ability to launch missiles from submarines, according to a statement from the South Korean navy.

In recent years, North Korea has been building larger submarines, including a nuclear-powered one, and testing sophisticated missiles that can be fired from them. This is a shocking development for its rivals, as it is more difficult to detect underwater-launched missiles in advance.

Also read | Underwear decree issued by Pakistan International Airlines; formal clothing on “appropriate underwear” becomes mandatory for cabin crew.

Friday’s exercise involved the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan and destroyers from the United States, South Korea and Japan, the Navy statement said. During the training, naval ships from the three countries will search for and track a U.S. nuclear-powered submarine disguised as a North Korean submarine while exchanging relevant information, according to media reports.

“We will respond overwhelmingly and decisively to and eliminate any form of North Korean provocation,” Captain Cho Chung-ho, commander of the South Korean navy who participated in the training, said in a statement.

In addition to submarine-launched missiles, North Korea has a variety of nuclear-capable missiles that could put the United States and its allies South Korea and Japan within striking distance. This year, North Korea conducted a record number of missile tests as it refused to resume long-stalled nuclear diplomacy with the United States.

Friday’s three-nation training comes as South Korea and Japan seek to mend ties frayed by history and trade disputes. A total of 80,000 U.S. troops are stationed in the two Asian countries. Earlier this week, the USS Ronald Reagan participated in joint U.S.-South Korea exercises near the peninsula, the first such bilateral exercise for a U.S. aircraft carrier since 2017.

North Korea’s most recent missile test occurred on Thursday, hours after Harris left South Korea. “In the south, we saw a thriving democracy. In the north, we saw a brutal dictatorship,” Harris said during a visit to the demilitarized zone that separates the two North Koreas. (Associated Press)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from the Syndicated News feed, the body of the content may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)