South Korea & the United States launched their first combined naval exercise near the peninsula.
South Korea’s President Yoon Suk-yeol, who took charge as president of South Korea in May vowed to beef up joint military drills with the United States, after years of failed diplomacy with North Korea under his predecessor.
South Korea’s naval media wing issued a statement in which they said “This exercise was prepared to demonstrate the strong will of the South Korea-US alliance to respond to North Korean provocations”
According to South Korean navy reports a four-day exercise on South Korea’s east coast will involve more than 20 vessels and an assortment of aircraft, which will conduct drills for anti-ship and anti-submarine warfare operations, tactical maneuvers, and other maritime operations.
North Korea’s Ambassador, Kim Song to United Nations said that the exercises draw “serious concern.”
“Obviously, this is an extremely dangerous act of igniting the fuse to drive the situation on the Korean peninsula to the brink of war,” he told the General Assembly.
The drills come a day after nuclear-armed Pyongyang conducted another ballistic missile launch. North Korea Earlier this month revised its nuclear weapons law, enshrining its “first strike” doctrine and vowing never to give up its nukes.
The supreme leader of North Korea Kim Jong told the United Nations that the USA “compelled” action by the North, officially known as the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
He said, “The US should clearly understand that its heinous, hostile policy against the DPRK over the past 30 years has brought about today’s reality and ask itself and ponder how far it will prolong this situation.”
Remember one thing North Korea is under multiple international sanctions in order to develop nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles.