S.Korea, US to Begin Joint Naval Drill in the Yellow Sea Next Month

South Korea and the United States will stage large-scale joint antisubmarine drills in the Yellow Sea early next month, the two allies said Wednesday in a joint statement.

The Souh Korean and U.S. defense ministries jointly announced on Wednesday they will stage a large-scale joint naval exercise in the Yellow Sea early next month, Xinhua said.

The joint drill, scheduled in September, aims to improve the two allies’ antisubmarine combat capability and will be “defensive in nature,” Seoul’s Yonhap News Agency reported citing a joint statement.

Details of the exercise, including the military assets to be mobilized and the exact date, are still under discussion, said the statement.

The decision came after the decision was made by foreign and defence ministers from South Korea and the United States at a so-called “two plus two” security talks in late July, saying a string of joint drills would be stages, as countermeasures against the sinking of the South Korean warship Cheonan in March, which left 46 sailors dead.

Seoul accused the DPRK of torpedoing the warship, the Pongyang denies the involvement.

Responding with anger, Pyongyang said both the South Korea and the United States were wild about conspiracy of triggering a war, which, both the army and the people in DPRK will fight back with a “merciless counterblow” against the war games.

Jiang Yu, spokeswomen for the Chinese foreign ministry, called for all sides to “work har at devoting themselves to maintaining peace and stability on the Korean Penisula.”

“We have expressed our clear and firm position on the ROK-U.S. joint military exercises to the relevant parties on several occasions. We urge the relevant parties to take China's position and concern seriously,” she said on August 6 at a conference.