South Korea, US begin maritime drills with aircraft carrier

SEOUL: South Korea and the United States began joint maritime exercises with a US aircraft carrier on Friday, October 7 South Korea's military said on Friday after it scrambled fighter jets in response to an apparent North Korean bombing drill.

The joint chiefs of staff of South Korea said the maritime drills will take place on October 7 and 8 in waters off South Korea's east coast. The drills came after North Korea launched a pair of ballistic missiles into the sea on Thursday, and later flew warplanes near the border with the South.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff said that they will continue to strengthen their operational capabilities and readiness to respond to any provocations by North Korea through joint drills with the USS Ronald Reagan Carrier Strike Group.

The US strike group already participated in trilateral missile defence exercises with warships from Japan and South Korea this week, prompted by a test on Tuesday in which North Korea launched a ballistic missile that overflew part of Japan.

Senior Defence officials from Japan, South Korea and the United States discussed the latest developments in a call on Friday, condemning the North Korean launches and agreeing that recent trilateral maritime drills have improved their ability to respond to North Korea, South Korea's ministry of defence said in a statement.