US and South Korean naval ships fired artillery and dropped anti-submarine bombs off South Korea’s east coast yesterday, the third day of high-profile military maneuvers intended to warn North Korea against any aggression.
Yesterday, both Koreas and the US marked the 57th anniversary of the signing of the armistice against the backdrop of the military drills.
“Since our nation’s founding, the United States has relied on our armed forces to ensure our safety and security at home, and to protect lives and liberties around the globe,” US President Barack Obama said in a statement marking the anniversary. “I call upon all Americans to observe this day with appropriate ceremonies and activities that honor our distinguished Korean War veterans.”
PHOTO: REUTERS
In Pyongyang, soldiers and citizens marked the anniversary by laying bouquets at the foot of the Korean War memorial in the capital city, footage from TV news agency APTN showed.
North Korea has strongly protested the exercises as a provocation.
“This is an impure attempt to stifle [North Korea] by means of armed force,” North Korean army officer Hong Sung-chol told APTN in Pyongyang. “If the US imperialists ignite war again, our army and people will totally uproot the source of the war under the leadership of our brilliant commander, General Kim Jong-il.”
So far, there was no sign North Korea was preparing to mount the defense it warned of in the days before the drills began last Sunday, military officials said.
The exercises, dubbed “Invincible Spirit,” involve about 20 ships, 200 aircraft and about 8,000 US and South Korean sailors.
Most of the firepower has been flying off the decks of the USS George Washington, a US supercarrier that can carry up to 70 aircraft and more than 5,000 sailors and aviators.
“It’s been a success,” said Commander Paul Hogue, commanding officer of the US destroyer Curtis Wilbur. “It’s a show of force, a deterrent.”
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