U.S. and South Korea conducted joint military exercises near border with North Korea

It is reported that the joint training of the South Korean army's mechanized brigade and the U.S. Army's Stryker armored brigade aimed to check and enhance combat readiness by simulating aggression from a potential adversary.

According to the South Korean army, the training took place for a week, from December 29 to January 4. The allies significantly increased the scale and intensity of joint exercises last year amid escalating tensions on the Korean Peninsula, as Pyongyang tested both long-range ballistic missiles and tactical weapons designed to target the Pacific Ocean.

Over 110 units of military equipment were involved in the joint training, including South Korean army tanks, anti-aircraft artillery, combat engineering vehicles, as well as American assault aviation and armored fighting vehicles.

Training of South Korea and its allies

In recent years, South Korea has intensified military exercises with allies in response to threats from North Korea.

For instance, at the end of December, South Korea conducted independent exercises simulating a nuclear attack from North Korea, as part of efforts to refine its capabilities to respond to military threats from the North.

It was also reported that over 1,000 South Korean military personnel, police, and emergency service workers participated in rare defense drills simulating a North Korean attack on Seoul. The exercises included simulated attacks on a major water supply facility, a telephone network station, as well as an underground communication and power cable corridor.