South Korea, US Hold Major Amphibious Landing Drills

South Korea and the United States conducted large-scale amphibious landing drills, involving ships, stealth fighters and helicopters, as part of the Ssangyong exercise, which is being held for the first time since 2018, a Sputnik correspondent reported on Wednesday

SEOUL (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 29th March, 2023) South Korea and the United States conducted large-scale amphibious landing drills, involving ships, stealth fighters and helicopters, as part of the Ssangyong exercise, which is being held for the first time since 2018, a Sputnik correspondent reported on Wednesday.

The active part of the tactical exercise took place in the vicinity of the South Korean port city of Pohang from March 27-29, 272 kilometers (169 miles) southeast of Seoul. The landing drills are the final part of the Ssangyong exercise, which will continue until April 3.

Some 650 troops and 30 vessels, including the ROKS Dokdo and USS Makin Island amphibious assault ships, about 70 aircraft such as F-35B fighter jets and AH-64 Apache attack helicopters, and nearly 50 amphibious assault vehicles were deployed during the drills, the military said.

The coastal area used for landing was cordoned off by a large number of police officers. In addition to reporters, a number of South Korean activists came to the site of the drills. Some of them were holding a banner demanding that US troops leave the territory of the Korean Peninsula.

The exercise began with the simulated bombing of a hostile territory by South Korean and US aircraft, followed by the landing of troops ashore.

Last week, North Korea announced that it had tested the Haeil underwater drone, which is designed to carry nuclear weapons and is capable of creating radioactive tsunamis through underwater explosions. Pyongyang also confirmed the testing of two Hwasal-1 and two Hwasal-2 strategic cruise missiles armed with warheads that simulate nuclear weapons.