Photos Show How North and South Korea Train Special Forces
The training enhanced what the U.S. military called "rapid infiltration capabilities" between American and South Korean special operations forces. Meanwhile, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un demanded that his army be prepared to fight and win a war at any time.
The American and South Korean militaries regularly conduct exercises and training to enhance their deterrence against North Korea, which has threatened the allies with its nuclear and missile arsenals. Pyongyang is estimated to possess about 50 nuclear warheads.
North Korea has long railed against the alliance's training sessions, which it describes as "war rehearsals." For the U.S. and South Korea, special warfare drills are designed to hone the skills necessary for carrying out "decapitation" operations against Kim and his country's leadership.
U.S. Naval Special Warfare operators and South Korea's Naval Special Warfare Flotilla took part in nighttime training at Rodriguez Live-Fire Complex near Pocheon, South Korea, the U.S. Special Operations Command-Korea announced in a Facebook post on Monday.
Photos released on Thursday showed American and South Korean military personnel arriving at the objective building in a U.S. Army UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter during the "combined air assault training event" that took place on April 18.
The training involved a "direct action raid," seizure of a time-sensitive target and the ability to exploit a site, the command said. During the dill, American operators conducted a fast-rope infiltration while their South Korean counterparts seized "complementary objectives."
Meanwhile, North Korea conducted two drills on Tuesday at a training camp in Pyongyang involving special operations and tank units, the state-run Korean Central News Agency reported. Kim observed the events alongside top military and political officials.
According to photos released by the state news agency, tanks were firing at targets, while troops practiced marksmanship and trained in drone operations. During the exercises, a half-naked soldier was seen smashing a stone placed on a fellow soldier's back with a hammer.
Kim said war games should be conducted based on the principles of enhancing the initiative, independence and creativity of commanders, with the goal of maintaining and strengthening the "qualitative superiority" of the country's armed forces, the report added.
The U.S. Special Operations Command-Korea said: "Naval Special Warfare provides maritime special operations force capabilities to enable Joint Force lethality and survivability inside denied and contested areas."
The U.S. Forces Korea wrote on Facebook: "This was more than training-it was a test of grit, skill, and seamless teamwork."
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said: "Our revolutionary armed forces are now in charge of not a few fronts, but the most important among them is the anti-imperialist class front and making full preparations for war is their most crucial task."
Military training and exercises are likely to continue across the Korean Peninsula. The U.S. has also dispatched military assets to nearby Japan for contingency operations.
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