ROK, US military show off combat readiness

The Army's Special Forces parachute from an Air Force transport plane, practicing penetrating deep into enemy territory during a
South Korea-United States large-scale joint live-fire exercise at the Seungjin Army Training Center in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province, Monday.
/ Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk

By Jun Ji-hye

POCHEON, Gyeonggi Province ― The atmosphere was tense around the Seungjin Army Training Center in Pocheon, north of Seoul, Monday, before South Korea and the United States' large-scale joint live-fire exercise.

Some 3,000 spectators, including the public, journalists and soldiers from the two nations, made little noise while waiting to watch the military exercise at a time when tension was high on the Korean Peninsula.

Tension was heightened in the wake of North Korea's Aug. 4 landmine explosion inside the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), which maimed two South Korean soldiers.

The exercises have taken place four times this month. President Park Geun-hye observed the last one held on Friday.

A Surion Korean Utility Helicopter (KUH-1) releases flares.

The 19 million-square-meter training center, which was created in 1952 at the foot of Mount Myeongseong by U.S. soldiers, was transferred to South Korea in 1973 and opened to the public in 2010 for the first time in 58 years.

The center is 25 kilometers from the military demarcation line (MDL).

Soldiers who escorted the spectators gave earplugs to young children and the elderly in preparation for explosions from the live-fire exercise.

In a short video played just before the exercise, ROK soldiers stressed that they will never ever allow any form of provocation, referring to the North's latest hostile action.

Shells fired by ROK artillerymen strike a simulated guard post.

The first part of the drill, which lasted 24 minutes, demonstrated the South Korean troops' response to the enemy's hypothetical provocation in peacetime.

The Air Force's high-altitude surveillance aircraft, nicknamed the "Peace Eye," and tactical reconnaissance aircraft RF-16s flew over the training center, showing the reconnaissance posture in peacetime for monitoring the enemy's activities.

In a scenario where enemy troops shoot at South Korean guard posts (GP), the Army fired Biho self-propelled 30mm anti-aircraft guns and Vulcan self-propelled 20mm aircraft guns to burn the enemy's GP to the ground.

Spectators were first shocked by the loud explosion, but soon applauded, recalling that Pyongyang fired at the western front on Aug. 20 in protest at the South's loudspeakers, which broadcast outside news to North Korean frontline soldiers and border-area residents.

An Army AH-1S Cobra shoots at grounds targets.

The next scenario was the North's shelling at the central forward area.

Artillerymen fired 18 rounds of 155mm K-55 self-propelled howitzers and 54 rounds of K-9 self-propelled howitzers to strike at the origin of the provocation. The launch of 30 rounds of the multi-launch rocket systems (MLRS) followed to destroy the enemy's support facilities.

The Air Force's three KF-16s and two F-15Ks carrying 12 MK-82 bombs and six MK-84s, respectively, made a sortie to respond to the North's additional missile provocation, and successfully struck the enemy's command facilities.

Spectators responded with thunderous applause to the victory of the South Korean troops, waving the Taegukgi, South Korea's national flag.

The second part of the drill, which lasted 52 minutes, was designed to show the allies' combined capabilities to implement operations in wartime.

In a hypothetical war with the North, the South Korean Army's six Biho guns, four Vulcan guns, 18 K-55s, 54 K-9s and three MLRSs, as well as 10 K1A1 tanks and 10 K-21 armored vehicles, launched an operation to strike the enemy's missile and special warfare units.

The Army also mobilized its attack helicopters including 500-MDs, AH-1Ss, nicknamed "Cobra," and Surion Korean Utility Helicopters (KUH-1).

K1A1 main battle tanks fire shells at a simulated guard post during a South Korea-United States large-scale joint live-fire exercise at the Seungjin Army Training Center in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province, Monday.
/ Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk

The Army's Special Forces landed by parachute from transport planes to penetrate deep into enemy territory.

The Air Force's F-15Ks and F-4s supported the operation by accurately dropping bombs on enemy positions.

The United States Forces Korea (USFK) mobilized MLRSs, Bradley fighting vehicles, Paladin howitzers, Apache helicopters and A-10 attack aircraft for the combined operations.

During the last half of the drill, 17 units of allies simultaneously fired their weapons at the enemy.

An Army official said, "The simultaneous fire is possible as soldiers of the two nations have been highly trained."

The drill came to an end with a triumphal march after the allies successfully secured the target area.

Corporal Kim Joon-hyuk, of an antiaircraft defense unit, said, "This drill was a chance for us to learn the power of the Seoul-Washington alliance and gain confidence in our capability of winning the battle with the enemy."

Jason Yu, MLRS battery commander of the 210 Fire Brigade, the United States' key anti-artillery unit, also said, "Through this exercise, we are learning the ROK and U.S. capability in case of any provocative actions from the North. We are learning a lot from each other."

Follow Jun Ji-hye on Twitter @TheKopJihye