Military engineers of Korea, Cambodia hold 1st joint exercise

Military engineers of Korea and Cambodia pose for a photo during joint drills held in Cambodia from Nov. 6 to Dec. 1, in this undated file photo. Courtesy of Ministry of Defense

Korea and Cambodia have held their first joint exercise aimed at enhancing Cambodian peacekeepers' capacity in engineering under a United Nations partnership program, the defense ministry said Monday.

A team of 10 Korean military engineers trained 32 Cambodian counterparts in the area of facilitating logistics support for U.N. peacekeeping missions from Nov. 6 to Dec. 1 near the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh, the ministry said. Japan and Australia participated in the exercise as observers.

The joint drill was held as part of the U.N. Triangular Partnership Program, which aims to enhance peacekeepers' capacity in engineering, medicine and other areas through the provision of training and operational support.

Under a bilateral agreement signed in 2022, Korea in February handed over military equipment to Cambodia and plans to additionally provide heavy equipment, including graders, bulldozers and vibratory rollers, according to the ministry.

The ministry said it will expand the combat engineers' exercise to include other Southeast Asian nations that deploy forces to U.N. peacekeeping missions, including the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia and Thailand, from next year. (Yonhap)