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| Three Aegis-equipped destroyers ― Korea's Yulgok Yi I, front, the Benfold, center, of the U.S. Navy and the JS Atago of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force ― sail in waters off Korea's east coast in this April 17 photo released by the Navy. Yonhap |
Korea plans to hold a multinational maritime exercise later this month as part of an international initiative aimed at stopping transfers of weapons of mass destruction (WMDs), a defense ministry official said Monday.
The country plans to stage the Eastern Endeavor 23 exercise in an effort to strengthen capabilities to counter WMD proliferation when it hosts the high-level meeting of the Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI) this month.
"Our military is planning a combined maritime interdiction exercise with some countries on the occasion of the high-level PSI meeting set to open in Korea in late May for the first time," the official said.
The official added that details of the exercise, such as participating countries, have yet to be finalized. The drills, however, are expected to focus on maritime interception and seizure operations.
Launched in 2003, PSI is a global effort aimed at stopping the trafficking of WMDs, their delivery systems, and related materials.
The United States initiated the Asia-Pacific PSI exercises in 2014 and participating countries have hosted their own exercises, like Eastern Endeavor in Korea, Pacific Protector in Australia and Pacific Shield in Japan.
Last year, the U.S. hosted the five-day Fortune Guard 22 in Honolulu in September, which brought together 21 countries, including Korea. (Yonhap)
