South Korea Launches Anti-Submarine Exercise

This latest military exercise, which takes place in the Yellow Sea and involves some 4,500 personnel, including marines, is another show of strength by South Korea that aims of send a clear message to the Norks. Of course, the Norks are threatening dire consequences...so what else is new?!

The latest drills, which follow a joint US-South Korean military exercise, will involve 29 ships and 50 planes.

Although the Ministry of Defence says the ships will stay clear of the disputed west coast sea boundary, marines stationed on islands close to the border will conduct live-fire exercises.

But military officials said that the guns would face south and described the exercises as "defensive" in nature.

"The focus of the exercises is to strengthen our response to the enemy's asymmetric provocations and also our joint operations capabilities," an official at the Joint Chiefs of Staff told Yonhap news agency.

"We will not tolerate any kind of provocations by the enemy, and the drills will allow us to be fully prepared for combat."

In North Korea's official media, a statement attributed to military leaders called the exercises a "direct military invasion aimed at infringing upon the DPRK's [North Korea's] right to self-defence".

Military leaders "made a decisive resolution to counter the reckless naval firing projected by the group of traitors with strong physical retaliation", the statement said.

By: Shelldrake