THE US and South Korea yesterday began a major military exercise in the Sea of Japan, ignoring threats from North Korea to launch a nuclear attack in response to US “aggression” if the drills went ahead.
Operation Invincible Spirit began amid heightened tensions on the Korean peninsula, four months after a torpedo sank a South Korean navy ship, killing 46 sailors. International investigators said the torpedo had been fired from a North Korean submarine; Pyongyang denies any involvement. The regime has resisted calls to apologise for the sinking, and vowed to retaliate militarily against any attempts to punish it.
The four days of naval and air drills in waters South Korea refers to as the East Sea will offer the North a reminder of the formidable firepower it would confront in any conflict with the US and its ally. The operation involves 8,000 US and South Korean troops, and 200 aircraft and 20 vessels, including three destroyers, led by the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier the USS George Washington.
Walter Sharp, commander of US forces in Korea, said in a statement: “These defensive, combined training exercises are designed to send a clear message to North Korea that its aggressive behaviour must stop, and that [South Korea] and the US are committed to enhancing our combined defensive capabilities.”
The manoeuvres are part of a series of joint exercises this summer. They come days after the US imposed new sanctions targeting North Korea’s leaders and illegal activities it uses to raise funds for its nuclear weapons.
North Korea ratcheted up the rhetoric in the run-up to the drills, which it condemned as an “unpardonable military provocation” and a rehearsal for an invasion.
In a piece under the headline "We also have nuclear weapons", the North's government-run Minju Josonnewspapers said: "Our military and people will squarely respond to the nuclear war preparation by the American imperialists and the South Korean puppet regime with our powerful nuclear deterrent." Despite the strong language, South Korea's defence ministry said it observed no unusual military activity north of the border over the weekend.
PJ Crowley, a US state department spokesman, said: “What we need from North Korea is fewer provocative words and more constructive action.”