Seoul, April 18 (Agency) South Korea and the United States started nine-day digital military drills on Monday amid objections from the North, the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said. “The training this time will offer a chance to enhance the combined operational capabilities of South Korean and US troops and further solidify the allies’ combined defense posture,” the JCS said in a statement, as quoted by the Kyodo news agency. The exercises will be held via a computer simulation, the statement added.
On Sunday, North Korea criticized the preparations for the drills on its state-controlled news outlet Uriminzokkiri, saying that “invaders and provocateurs must pay” for their actions. On the same day, the JCS said that North Korea had launched two projectiles towards the Sea of Japan from the city of Hamhung on the peninsula’s east coast. The maximum altitude reached 15.5 miles, and the flight range was estimated at 68 miles. The US-South Korean annual military exercises, usually held in March, were postponed this year due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the presidential election in Seoul.