US-South Korea special operations drill, Pyongyang plans "huge plan"

On February 2, South Korean and US special forces concluded their first joint military exercise of the year, while on the other side of the northern border, the North Korean leader inspected warships at a shipyard.

Bán đảo Triều Tiên: Bình Nhưỡng đang có 'kế hoạch khổng lồ', Mỹ-Hàn Quốc tập trận tác chiến đặc biệt. (Nguồn: KCNA)

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un inspects warships at the Nampho shipyard on February 2. (Source: KCNA)

Yonhap reported that the South Korean Army announced that the exercise took place from January 22 at the Rodriguez Live Fire Fighting Complex in Pocheon, 51 km northeast of Seoul.

Soldiers from the North Star Battalion of the Army Special Operations Command and the US 1st Special Forces Group participated in the exercise.

The two sides held various exercises, including shooting and first aid drills, special reconnaissance and air support command.

They also formed combined teams to conduct a two-day, sleepless reconnaissance and infiltration exercise to identify and destroy targets by directing simulated air strikes.

“The Army Special Operations Command will closely analyze the results of the exercise and strengthen education and training to enhance comprehensive special operations capabilities,” the statement confirmed.

The drills come amid heightened tensions over North Korea's continued weapons tests, including the launch of several cruise missiles off the west coast of the Korean peninsula (Yellow Sea) on January 30.

Meanwhile, AFP quoted the North Korean Central News Agency ( KCNA ) on February 2 as saying that the country's leader Kim Jong-un inspected warships at the Nampho shipyard, about 65 km southwest of Pyongyang. This is considered a new effort to strengthen the navy.

The North Korean President stated: "Strengthening the navy is the most important issue in firmly protecting the country's maritime sovereignty...".

Nuclear-powered submarines are on Kim Jong-un's strategic weapons wish list set out at the Workers' Party Congress in 2021, along with hypersonic warheads, spy satellites and solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missiles.

During his visit to the Nampho shipyard, the leader was briefed on the many warships under construction as well as preparations for a “new mega-plan” commissioned by the ruling Workers’ Party, but did not provide further details about the plan.

The North Korean leader “expressed hope that the workers at the shipyard will successfully build world-class large warships.”

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