On May 25, South Korea and the United States conducted their largest-ever live-fire exercise in the northeastern border city of Pocheon, marking the 70th anniversary of the two countries' alliance.
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| Weapon systems are displayed at the site of a joint US-South Korea live-fire exercise in Pocheon on May 25. (Source: Yonhap) |
South Korean officials said the joint live-fire exercise, the first in six years, took place at the Seungjin live-fire training facility, also known as the Nightmare training ground, in Pocheon city, 52 kilometers northeast of Seoul.
The event was intended to deliver a powerful message: The Alliance will only grow stronger to achieve “peace through strength.”
The exercise is expected to be a formidable display of allied firepower, with key weapon systems such as the F-35A radar-evading fighter jet, AH-64 Apache attack helicopter, K2 battle tank and multiple launch rocket system. The US may deploy A-10 attack aircraft and F-16 fighter jets.
Observers say the move could anger Pyongyang. Last week, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said the plan to conduct military exercises against a "nuclear power" was "absolute nonsense".
The drills come amid high tensions between the two Koreas as Pyongyang pushes ahead with the development of weapons systems such as underwater nuclear attack drones and solid-fuel missiles, which observers say are disguised as space launch vehicles.
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