July 28, 2010
The United States and South Korea have wrapped up their 4-day joint military exercise in the Sea of Japan, which was one of the largest ever, with 8,000 soldiers taking part.
Some 20 US naval vessels, including the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier the USS George Washington, joined the exercise. In addition, state-of-the-art US F-22 fighter jets were deployed for the first time in a drill on the Korean Peninsula.
The exercise is a response to the sinking of a South Korean warship in the Yellow Sea in March, which the US and the South blame on a torpedo from a North Korean submarine.Drills included firing a torpedo from a destroyer and dropping a depth charge at a suspicious submarine.
The US and South Korea had initially planned to carry out the exercise in the Yellow Sea, but changed the venue to the Sea of Japan due to strong opposition from China.
The 2 countries plan to continue exercises in the region on a regular basis to keep up pressure on the North.
2010/07/28 18:34(JST)
(JST: UTC+9hrs.)
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