ROK, US Conducted Joint Drill

After the naval clash in the West Sea between South and North Korea, military forces of South Korea and the US are reported to have conducted a joint drill in preparation for another possible military provocation by North Korea including abduction of South Korean soldiers.

It is also reported that the military authorities stepped up their vigilance after they captured that North Korean soldiers crossed the military demarcation line and picked up a quarrel with South Korean guards near the Joint Security Area (JSA) in late May, a month before the West Sea naval clash.

An official in the ROK-US Combined Forces Command said, "ROK-US military forces carried out a secret drill from late June to early July in preparation for a possible inland provocation by North Korean army near the JSA. The drill was a follow-up measure taken after the military authorities captured unusual behaviors of the North Korean military in the process of reviewing a number of possible provocation scenarios after the West Sea naval skirmish."

He added, "in late May, North Korean soldiers in a North Korean guard post in the JSA trespassed the military demarcation line by more than 10m and picked up a quarrel with South Korean guards. The intelligence authorities judged that these situations were aimed at initiating another provocation. So they conducted the preparatory drill.

But he did not mention the specific time for the drill, military units that attended the drill, or equipment used.

Sang-Ho Yun ysh1005@donga.com