S. Korea, U.S. conduct large-scale aerial exercise amid N. Korea provocation concerns

한미 대규모 연합 공중훈련 중 北 탄도미사일로 맞대응할까? South Korea and the U.S. are taking part in a large-scale joint aerial exercise until this Friday. And watchers say the drills, which are aimed at better preparing the allies for actual combat, may trigger a response from North Korea, including retaliatory measures. Choi Min-jung reports. Seoul and Washington are currently conducting round-the-clock aerial drills,.. dubbed “Vigilant Defense“, in the skies around the Korean Peninsula. The five-day exercise, which kicked off Monday, involves some 1-hundred 30 South Korean and U.S. aircraft, including Seoul’s F-35A fighters, the E-737 airborne early warning and control aircraft, and the KC-330 transport plane,. as well as Washington’s F-35A and F-35B fighters. The exercise is aimed at enhancing the allies’ combined operational capabilities against North Korea’s military provocations. “South Korea and the U.S. Air Force plan to master wartime operation procedures and check operational capabilities.“ This is being done through drills which include combat formation, defensive counter-air drills, airborne alert interdiction, and close air support operations. Colonel Kang Kun Shun, the director of the exercise, had previously said the intensive training, is similar to actual combat, and will allow the allies to respond to any provocation by the enemy. That being said, there is growing speculation that North Korea may stage missile launches in a show of discontent with the joint drills. “It is highly likely that North Korea will carry out various forms of provocation during this training period, to create insecurity on the Korean Peninsula.“ North Korea, which has previously called such drills “rehearsals for invasion“,.. launched missiles during last year’s Seoul-Washington joint air exercise. Choi Min-jung, Arirang News. #ROK_US_alliance #Vigilant_Defense #joint_aerial_exercise #SouthKorea #UnitedStates #fighter_jet #AirForce #NorthKorea #북한 #한미공군_연합연습 #비질런트_디펜스 #Arirang_News #아리랑뉴스 📣 Facebook : 📣 Twitter : 📣 Homepage : 2023-10-31, 09:00 (KST)