S. Korea, US to hold anti-submarine drills
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South Korea and the United States will hold anti-submarine drills next week in the waters west of the Korean Peninsula as a deterrent to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), the US-led United Nations Command (UNC) said Friday.
The five-day exercises that start Sept. 27 are the second joint military response by Seoul and Washington to the deadly sinking of a South Korean warship in March blamed on Pyongyang. The allies staged major joint military drills off the peninsula's east coast in late July.
The exercises are "designed to send a clear message of deterrence to the DPRK, while improving overall ROK-U.S. Alliance anti-submarine warfare (ASW) capabilities," the UNC said in a press release.
About 10 ships, including two U.S. guided missile destroyers and two submarines, and some 1,700 troops from the allies will be mobilized for the new round of drills, local media reported, quoting officials from Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff.
The exercises were originally scheduled to be held in early September but were delayed for safety reasons related to Typhoon Malou arriving in South Korean waters during the exercise period.
The DPRK, denying its responsibility for the sinking of Cheonan, has condemned the drills as preparation for invasion and threatened retaliation if the alliance responds militarily.
