Seoul: The Navy launched maneuvering drills this week to honor service members killed during naval clashes with North Korea in the Yellow Sea and sharpen its combat readiness posture, the armed service said Thursday.
According to Yonhap News Agency, as part of the four-day exercise set to conclude Friday, naval troops have been conducting intensive drills aimed at strengthening their anti-submarine warfare, tactical maneuvering, and firing capabilities. Some 20 surface ships, including the 8,200-ton Jeongjo the Great destroyer, submarines, the P-3 and P-8 maritime surveillance aircraft, and the AW-159 naval helicopter, have been mobilized for the exercise conducted along the eastern and western coasts.
The drills coincide with South Korea's commemoration of the 55 sailors and Marines killed in major clashes with North Korea near the Northern Limit Line -- a de facto inter-Korean maritime border -- this week. Later in the day, the Navy is set to hold a ceremony to honor troops killed during the 2010 sinking of the Cheonan corvette by a North Korean attack in the Yellow Sea.