South Korea, the US, and Japan hold anti-North Korean submar

South Korea, the US, and Japan hold anti-North Korean submarine drill

South Korea, the US, and Japan hold anti-North Korean submarine drill The South Korean, U.S., and Japanese navies started their first anti-submarine exercises in six months on Monday, according to a statement from South Korea's military. The aim of these drills is to enhance their coordination against the rising missile threats from North Korea.

The exercises are taking place amid concerns that North Korea may conduct its first nuclear test since 2017, following its recent unveiling of a new type of battlefield nuclear warhead. The international community is closely monitoring the situation and has been calling on North Korea to refrain from further provocations.

 South Korea, the US, and Japan hold anti-North Korean submarine

According to a statement released by South Korea's Defense Ministry, naval drills were conducted in international waters near the southern island of Jeju. The exercise involved the participation of the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier, which is nuclear-powered, and naval destroyers from Japan, South Korea, and the United States.

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 According to the statement, a training session was organized to enhance the ability of the three countries to tackle underwater security risks resulting from North Korea's progressive development of submarine-launched ballistic missiles and other resources. The statement also mentioned that the primary focus of the training was on detecting and monitoring unmanned South Korean and U.S. underwater vehicles that could potentially mimic enemy submarines and other assets.

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The development of submarine-launched missiles by North Korea is a significant security concern for the United States and its allies as these launches are harder to detect in advance. In recent times, North Korea has been conducting trials of advanced underwater-launched ballistic missiles and striving to construct larger submarines, including a nuclear-powered one.

In the previous month, North Korea conducted a series of missile tests as a reaction to the military exercises carried out by South Korea and the United States. The tests involved various types of weapons, such as a submarine-launched cruise missile and a nuclear-capable underwater drone, indicating North Korea's efforts to expand its underwater weaponry.

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Recent images published in North Korea's state media depicted approximately 10 red-tipped, capsule-shaped warheads called "Hwasan-31" with distinct serial numbers. An adjacent poster listed eight varieties of short-range weapons that have the capacity to accommodate the "Hwasan-31" warhead. Previous trial launches of these weapons have demonstrated their ability to target significant locations in South Korea, which includes the United States military bases situated there.

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According to certain analysts, the public display of the "Hwasan-31" warhead could be an indication of an upcoming nuclear test since North Korea has previously conducted nuclear tests after revealing other warheads in 2016 and 2017. In the event of a nuclear test, it would be North Korea's seventh test overall and its first since September 2017.

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Foreign specialists are divided over whether North Korea possesses operational nuclear-equipped missiles. However, South Korea's defense minister, Lee Jong-Sup, recently announced that North Korea has made significant strides in its technology to produce miniature warheads that can be attached to advanced short-range missiles.

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North Korea may conduct fresh missile trials in retaliation to the military exercises conducted by South Korea, the United States, and Japan as it considers such drills as a threat to its security. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un denounced the recent joint exercises between South Korea and the United States as "reckless military provocations" that neglected North Korea's "patience and warning."

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Rear Adm. Kim Inho, who leads the South Korean forces participating in the tripartite exercises, stated in a Defense Ministry release that they would respond firmly and eliminate any kind of provocation by North Korea.

Apart from conducting anti-submarine exercises, the three nations will rehearse search and rescue operations for humanitarian purposes, including rescuing individuals who have fallen into the water and providing emergency medical care. According to the Defense Ministry statement, this will be the first instance in seven years that the three countries will hold such joint training. READ MORE