Joint Anti-Submarine Exercise Launched by US and South Korea

The joint anti-submarine drill that was postponed earlier in the month because of an approaching typhoon is now underway in the Sea of Japan.

The United States and South Korea launched a joint anti-submarine exercise Monday in a show of strength against the communist North, which is preparing for a key meeting of its ruling party.

The exercise starts a day before the opening of the Workers' Party of Korea conference in Pyongyang, expected to pave the way for a power transfer from Kim Jong-Il to his son Jong-Un.

The Yellow Sea drill is the latest in a flurry of exercises Seoul has staged -- either alone or with the United States -- since North Korea was accused of sinking a South Korean warship in March with the loss of 46 lives.

"About 1,700 South Korean and US navy forces are involved in submarine detection training and high-level combat training," said a spokesman for the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Seoul and Washington, citing a multinational investigation, accuse Pyongyang of attacking South Korea's warship near the tense sea border but the North has angrily denied involvement in the incident.

The latest exercise includes two guided-missile destroyers and a fast attack submarine from the US Navy and two South Korean destroyers.

And of course, the Norks aren't happy that this latest joint exercise is taking place.

"The warmongers blustered that they would conduct intensive training of the strategy, technique and procedures for countering someone's submarine infiltration, openly disclosing that the joint naval military exercises are targeted against the DPRK," said the state-run Korean Central News Agency. North Korea is officially called the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

By: Shelldrake