http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/national/2013/10/02/50/0301000000AEN20131002005000315F.html
S. Korea, U.S., Japan carry out joint naval
drills’
By Kim Eun-jung
SEOUL, Oct. 2 (Yonhap) -- South Korea has
been jointly carrying out naval drills with United States and Japan in waters
off the Korean Peninsula's southern coast to bolster interoperability between
the nations, a military source in Seoul said Wednesday.
The drills began earlier this week to carry
out maritime maneuvering to enhance missile detection capabilities, involving
American aircraft carrier USS George Washington and Aegis destroyers of South
Korea and Japan, the source said.
The training also includes the
guided-missile cruiser USS Antietam CG-54 and guided-missile destroyer USS
Preble DDG 88, as well as fighter jets, anti-submarine helicopters and early
warning aircraft.
Following the trilateral training, the
nuclear-powered 97,000-ton supercarrier is expected to carry out joint drills
with the South Korean Navy in the East Sea.
The ship will arrive in the South Korean
port city of Busan on Friday, and carry out maritime training exercises with
South Korean warships and Aegis destroyers for two or three days next week, he
said.
"The training is expected to include
aircraft carrier maneuvers, anti-submarine drills and maritime training,"
the source said, speaking under anonymity as he is not authorized to talk to
the media. "It is a routine training conducted two or three times when a
U.S. carrier makes a port call here."
North Korea has condemned the allies' joint
drills as a prelude to war. In March, Pyongyang threatened to strike Seoul and
the continental U.S. when the two nations' forces conducted their annual drills
involving stealth bombers, stealth jets and aircraft carriers.
The two Koreas technically remain at war as
the 1950-53 Korean War ended in a truce, not a peace treaty.
ejkim@yna.co.kr