Joint drill ends on quiet note

South Korean and U.S. warships conduct a joint military drill in the East Sea, Monday. The three-day exercise was wrapped up Wednesday. / Courtesy of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

By Kang Seung-woo

South Korea and the United States wrapped up a three-day joint naval drill without much media hype Wednesday.

The government didn’t hesitate to promote the drill as a show of force to warn Pyongyang over its possible nuclear test.

But there was little publicity for the exercise with just three photos being released Monday, the first day of the drill.

The joint naval exercise was participated in by the USS San Francisco, a nuclear submarine armed with Tomahawk cruise missiles, and the USS Shiloh, an Aegis equipped guided missile cruiser.

“We decided to release photos on the first day because there were naval maneuvers whose pictures could be taken. The remaining drills were about submarine exercises and a photo shoot was not available,” said a Joint Chiefs of Staff officer.

However, he denied that the drill would provoke a trigger-happy North Korea. .

North Korea has ramped up threats of a nuclear test in response to toughened U.N. sanctions against the communist country’s Dec. 12 rocket launch which was banned under the U.N. Security Council (UNSC) resolutions.

A military source says that a large-scale media release would not help in easing tensions.

“We said that the exercise countered the North’s test threats and I think it is enough,” said Shin In-kyun, president of the Korea Defense Network. “A release of drill photos just provokes North Korea and elevates tensions, and cannot have a practical effect.”