Seoul, December 01: Amid a growing tension between North Korea and the South, the US and South Korea plan more joint naval drills as early as this month as they wrap up war games in the Yellow Sea.
According to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) on Wednesday, South Korea and the US were discussing holding a joint naval exercise this month or in early 2011.
“Discussions are still under way on when and where the drill would take place and on what scale,” AFP quoted the JCS spokesman as saying.
Ten warships and 7,300 crews have taken part in the joint war games in the Yellow Sea that started three days ago.
The US and South Korea conducted the drills amid recent tensions between South Korea and the North. Last week, Seoul and Pyongyang exchanged artillery fires in the Yellow Sea border island of Yeonpyeong and the two blamed each other for the border fighting.
South Korea says it returned fire after North Korean forces shelled one of its islands, but the North says the South fired first. Two South Korean troops lost their lives in the clashes.
US President Barack Obama has already promised what he called unshakeable support for Seoul. He also called North Korea a serious threat that must be dealt with. He, however, ruled out a US military intervention.
“The United States remains firmly and fully committed to the defense of its ally the Republic of Korea,” he said.
In recent months, the US and South Korea have conducted several massive joint sea and air drills in waters east of the Korean Peninsula.
Meanwhile, envoys from North Korea and Japan are in the Chinese capital of Beijing to discuss the latest developments in the region.
——–Agencies