South Korea staged a major live-fire exercise near the disputed inter-Korean sea border, despite North Korea's warning of a possible "merciless" retribution, military officials said.
The drills were part of a weeklong training at Seungjin Fire Training Field in Pocheon, located 25 km south of the inter-Korean border. It was held in connection with the combined Freedom Shield exercise to strengthen deterrence against the North's nuclear and missile threats, Yonhap news agency reported.
About 300 personnel took part in the field training, mobilizing the Army's K1A2 tanks, K21 armoured vehicles, and M1150 assault breacher vehicles from a joint South Korea-US engineering unit. South Korean and US military personnel collaborated to establish joint battle teams to enhance combined operational capabilities.
During the drills, K1A2 tanks and K21 armoured vehicles fired at enemy targets while South Korean and US engineers cleared obstacles to facilitate troop passage to secure the enemy's position, as reported by the Army. North Korea has long alleged that the joint drills by the allies are rehearsals for an invasion against them. Whereas, Seoul and Washington maintain that they are only defensive in nature.
According to state media reports, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un led a training competition between tank units on Wednesday by personally driving a recently unveiled tank, as an apparent demonstration of power against the allies’ drills.
The computer-simulated Freedom Shield exercise ended earlier in the day after kicking off on March 4. The allies staged a series of concurrent on-field drills to boost readiness against North Korean threats.
The allies' navies have also been staging a three-day joint medical evacuation exercise since Thursday under a scenario of mass wartime casualties.
The drills mobilized a South Korean helicopter and two U.S. choppers to transport injured personnel from Deokjeok Island off Incheon, west of Seoul, to the Armed Forces Daejeon Hospital in Daejeon, 139 km south of the capital, according to the South's Navy.
[With Inputs from IANS]