Kanga Kong and Hooyean Kim
The U.S. and South Korean navies on Monday began a joint drill involving around 40 warships, amid signs North Korea is preparing for another provocation such as a missile launch.
The exercise will continue through Friday on waters on both sides of the Korean Peninsula, according to a South Korean defense official, who asked not to be named due to internal policy. South Korean media reports over the weekend said North Korean missile vehicles “kept appearing and disappearing” from the map and “transporter erector launchers” had been spotted carrying ballistic missiles from near Pyongyang and North Pyongan province.
“Anything could happen especially before China’s party convention on Oct. 18 and during the time between post-drills and Trump’s visits in the region,” said Shin Beomchul, a professor at the Korea National Diplomatic Academy in Seoul. “There is also the possibility for North Korea to test shorter-ranged ballistic missiles, which in the past did not lead to UN sanctions." Historically, the North had tended not to provoke directly during the military drills.
North Korea’s state-run media agency KCNA on Saturday criticized the joint military exercise, calling it a “reckless act of war maniacs.” Earlier, the White House said U.S. President Donald Trump will travel to Asia from Nov. 3-14.
U.S. Navy units participating in the exercise include USS Stethem, USS Ronald Reagan, and USS Mustin, Phillip Sawyer, commander of the U.S. 7th Fleet, said last week.
Fighter Jets
Separately, F-35A and F-22 stealth fighter jets, B-1B bombers and RQ-4 surveillance drones, will participate in the Seoul International Aerospace & Defense Exhibition being held from Tuesday through Friday, although they won’t be armed, according to the South Korean official.
North Korea conducted its sixth and most powerful nuclear test on Sept. 3, and has launched more than a dozen missiles this year as Kim Jong Un’s regime seeks the capability to hit the continental U.S. with an atomic weapon. The United Nations has imposed stringent sanctions on North Korea for its weapons tests.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-10-16/u-s-south-korea-start-drill-as-north-seen-readying-missile
