South Korea, Japan and the U. S. began a joint naval exercise Monday aimed at countering missile threats from North Korean\u2026<\/b>
SEOUL \u2014
South Korea, Japan and the U. S. began a joint naval exercise Monday aimed at countering missile threats from North Korean submarines, Seoul\u2019s defense ministry said, amid mounting concerns over the hermit state\u2019s weapons program.
Pyongyang is on a quest to develop a long-range missile capable of hitting the U. S. mainland with a nuclear warhead, and has so far staged five nuclear tests, two of them last year.
The three-day drills involving more than 800 troops kicked off after U. S. President Donald Trump warned Sunday that the United States is prepared to act unilaterally to deal with North Korea\u2019s nuclear program if China proves unwilling to help.
The exercise began off South Korea\u2019s southern coast near Japan, featuring multiple naval destroyers and helicopters used in anti-submarine warfare, the ministry said.
It was aimed at \u201censuring effective response to the North\u2019s submarine threats including the submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBM),\u201d and \u201cdemonstrates the three countries\u2019 strong determination\u201d, according to the ministry.
Tensions have escalated in the region following a series of missile launches by North Korea in recent months and reports suggesting Pyongyang may be preparing another atomic test.
In February the North simultaneously fired four ballistic missiles off its east coast, three of which fell provocatively close to Japan, in what it said was a drill for an attack on U. S. bases in the neighboring Asian country.\u00a0
Last August, Pyongyang also successfully test-fired a SLBM 500 kilometers toward Japan, far exceeding any previous sub-launched tests, in what the North\u2019s leader Kim Jong-Un hailed as the \u201cgreatest success.\u201d\u00a0
A nuclear-capable SLBM system would take the North\u2019s threat to a new level, allowing deployment far beyond the Korean peninsula and a \u201csecond-strike\u201d capability in the event of an attack on its army bases.
Analysts say that while Pyongyang has made faster progress in its SLBM system than originally expected, it is still years away from deployment.
The isolated North is barred under U. N. resolutions from any use of ballistic missile technology.
\u00a9 2017 AFP<\/p>\n