ANKARA (AA) – South Korea and the US plan to hold tabletop joint military exercises next month under the scenario of the use of a nuclear weapon by North Korea, local media said on Wednesday.
In a report submitted to President Yoon Suk Yeol, the Defense Ministry said Seoul and Washington will hold 11-day exercises and will also conduct the final test of a homegrown solid-propellant space rocket, besides launching the country's first military surveillance satellite, Yonhap News Agency reported.
The two allies will hold the longest-ever 11-day exercises without break for the first time.
"We will apply realistic training scenarios that reflect the current security situations, including lessons from the war in Ukraine and advancing North Korean threats, so as to improve its practicality," the agency said citing a Defense Ministry’s statement.
The two countries also plan to hold a discussion-based tabletop exercise in the US next month. It is expected to discuss coordinated responses to a scenario of North Korean nuclear use, including cooperation procedures with the international community, according to the agency report.
Earlier this month, South Korea’s presidency said Seoul and Washington are in talks over jointly implementing plans, including US nuclear assets, to respond to threats from North Korea.
"South Korea and the United States are in talks over information-sharing, joint planning and the joint implementation plans that follow, in relation to the operation of US nuclear assets, to respond to North Korea's nuclear weapons," Yonhap News Agency quoted senior presidential secretary for press affairs, Kim Eun-hye, as saying.
Kim’s remarks came after US President Joe Biden last week denied any discussion between the two countries over joint nuclear exercises.
Tensions on the Korean Peninsula have risen again with North Korea launching dozens of missiles last year in a series of weapons tests, including intercontinental ballistic missiles.
*Writing by Islamuddin Sajid