USFK says combined S. Korea-US drills 'strictly defensive' following NK criticism

The U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) said Friday its combined drills with the South Korean military are "strictly defensive" in nature after North Korea accused the allies' exercises as being aimed at deterring the North. The statement by the USFK came hours after Pyongyang condemned a series of combined military drills between the allies, including the Silent Shark anti-submarine warfare drills and the recent U.S. forward deployment of F-16 fighter jets to Osan Air Base in South Korea. "Our training events are transparent and focused on deterrence, defense, and the maintenance of peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and across the region," the USFK said. "We maintain a strictly defensive posture, and our exercises are designed to prevent conflict, not provoke it." The USFK said the defensive training exercises, held in a routine and long-planned manner, are aimed at defending the allies as well as upholding its "ironclad commitment" to South Korea. The North has often strongly protested against the deployment of U.S. strategic assets to South Korea and implementation of large-scale jointWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times