By Jung Sung-ki
Staff reporter

The Navy will stage an independent anti-submarine exercise in the West Sea next week, following a major naval drill with the United States last week in the East Sea, Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said Friday.

South Korea and the U.S. are also discussing plans to stage a follow-up joint drill in the western waters in September, a JCS spokesman said.

“The drill will be staged Aug. 5-9,” the spokesman told reporters, adding the maritime maneuver will also involve forces from the Army, Air Force and Marine Corps. Details on the drill will be announced on Wednesday, he said.

The militaries of South Korea and the United States wrapped up their four-day naval and air readiness exercise off the eastern coast of Korea last Wednesday, which were intended to send a “message” to North Korea, blamed for attacking a South Korean warship in March.The “Invincible Spirit” exercise involved approximately 8,000 troops, 200 aircraft and 20 surface warships and submarines.
Mobilized air assets included the U.S. Air Force’s F-22, F-16, F-18 and F-15 fighter jets, A-10 close-air-support aircraft and KC-135/130 air refuel tankers, and the South Korean Air Force’s F-15Ks, KF-16s and F-4/5 jets.

The U.S. Navy dispatched the 97,000-ton George Washington aircraft carrier with about 60 fighter jets on board, guided-missile destroyers and attack submarines. The South Korean Navy sent the 14,000-ton Dokdo large-deck amphibious landing ship, KDX-series destroyers, frigates and submarines.

Joint exercises between the allied forces are planned to continue until the year’s end. The two forces will stage their annual Ulchi Freedom Guardian military drills Aug. 16-26.On March 26, South Korea’s Cheonan frigate was sunk and 46 of the 104 sailors aboard the ship were killed.

A Seoul-led multinational team of investigators concluded in May that the ship was torpedoed by a North Korean submarine.