Korea, US to kick off largest-ever live-fire drills this month
South Korean and U.S. tanks take part in a live-fire exercise at Seungjin Training Field in Pocheon, 52 kilometers northeast of Seoul, in this September 2011 file photo. Korea Times file
Korea and the United States will begin their largest-ever combined live-fire exercise, this month, on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of their alliance and the 75th anniversary of the Korean military's establishment, Seoul's defense ministry said Saturday.
The allies are set to stage the drills five times between May 25 and June 15 at Seungjin Training Field in Pocheon, 52 kilometers northeast of Seoul, according to the ministry.
This year's drills will be the largest ever of their kind, and the exercise is expected to involve advanced weapons systems, including F-35A stealth fighters, AH-64 Apache attack helicopters, K2 tanks and Chunmoo multiple rocket launchers.
More than 10 such high-profile firepower demonstrations have taken place since 1977, including both combined and South Korea-only drills.
The last such exercise took place in 2017 and mobilized 48 Korean and U.S. units and over 2,000 troops.
As part of a program to celebrate the landmark anniversary, Korea is also seeking to hold this year's Armed Forces Day ceremony with the participation of the U.S. Forces Korea in late September.
South Korea and the U.S. signed their mutual defense treaty, a bedrock alliance document, in October 1953, after the Korean War ended in a truce three months earlier. (Yonhap)