South Korea, Japan, US hold naval drills amid N.Korea threats

12/4/2024 12:59

        South Korea, Japan and the United States staged long-planned joint naval exercises involving an American aircraft carrier to ensure readiness against nuclear and missile threats from North Korea, Seoul's navy said on Friday.
        
        North Korea has been accelerating weapons development, testing solid-fuel hypersonic missiles last week, and leader Kim Jong Un said on Wednesday now was the time to be more prepared for war than ever, citing an unstable geopolitical situation.
        
        "The participating forces conducted anti-submarine warfare drills to improve their responses to North Korean underwater threats including from submarines and submarine-launched ballistic missiles," the South's navy said in a statement.
        
        The two-day drills held in international waters between South Korea and Japan from Thursday brought together the air carrier Theodore Roosevelt and the destroyers Howard, Russell and Daniel Inouye, with warships from the Asian neighbours.