S. Korea, US To Hold Major Live-Fire Drills Amid Soaring Tensions With N. Korea - Reports

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 25th May, 2023) Seoul and Washington will hold one of their largest live-fire drills in six years to celebrate the 70th anniversary of their alliance amid rising tensions with Pyongyang, the Yonhap news agency reported on Thursday, citing Seoul officials.

The joint live-fire exercise will take place at the Seungjin Fire Training Field in the South Korean city of Pocheon located 52 kilometers (32.3 miles) northeast of Seoul, the officials were cited as saying by the news agency.

During the drills, the US and South Korea will test their mainstay weapons systems, including F-35A radar-evading fighters, AH-64 Apache attack helicopters, K2 battle tanks and multiple launch rocket systems.

Washington may also deploy its A-10 attack aircraft and F-16 fighter jets, the report said.

Moreover, South Korea and the US are planning to hold military drills again on June 2, 7, 12 and 15. The last such large-scale exercise took place in 2017 and involved 48 South Korean and US units, as well as over 2,000 troops.