South Korea and the United States will hold a series of joint military nuclear simulation exercises in February to enhance and strengthen cooperation between the two countries, the South Korean Defense Ministry announced Wednesday.
These military exercises will last 11 days and include a test of a solid-propulsion space rocket and the launch of a first military surveillance satellite, the Yonhap news agency said.
The joint work will be a simulation exercise, assuming North Korea’s use of nuclear weapons, and will be led by the two countries’ Deterrence Strategy Committee.
Washington and Seoul plan to hold about 20 military exercises in the first half of the year.
These types of simulation exercises have not been carried out since September 2021.
The two countries agreed, during a bilateral Defense meeting, to carry out this type of deterrence maneuver annually, according to ‘The Korea Times’.
Seoul and Washington admit that Pyongyang is preparing a new nuclear test soon, which would be the seventh in its history and the first since 2017.
North Korean leaders say a credible nuclear deterrent is essential to the survival of their country, which they believe is permanently threatened by US aggression.
Pyongyang fired around 70 ballistic missiles in 2022, including eight intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) and three cruise missiles, according to data published by South Korea’s Yonhap news agency on New Year’s Eve.
Source: TSF
