South Korea's military launched major drills on Monday to enhance their capability for beach assaults and landings, military officials said, as tensions with North Korea persist over two deadly attacks last year.
Some 4,000 troops aboard more than 15 ships, led by the 14,000-ton amphibious landing ship Dokdo, as well as about 50 aircraft were mobilized for the weeklong exercises off the coast of Pohang, 374
kilometers southeast of Seoul, the Navy said in a statement.
Soldiers dispatched for the maneuvers also included 2,000 marines, 21 armored landing vehicles and KF-16 fighter jets, according to the statement.
"The drills are the first major joint drills by the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps since the North's attack on Yeonpyeong Island last November," a Navy official said.
The South's military has remained on a higher degree of alert since the North's two deadly attacks last year -- the March 2010 sinking of
the warship Cheonan and the November shelling of Yeonpyeong. The attacks killed a total of 50 South Koreans, including two civilians.
Early this month, Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin ordered tighter combat readiness against North Korea, warning that Pyongyang was likely to launch new provocations this year.
The ongoing exercises involved simulations of beach assaults in wartime, operations of landing vehicles from naval ships and training aimed at detecting and eliminating sea mines, officials said.