Joint Military Exercises

[Anchor Lead]

South Korean and American forces recently conducted a joint exercise simulating the removal of North Korea’s weapons of mass destruction, including its nuclear arsenal. A noteworthy addition to this drill was the deployment of the South Korean Navy's super transport vessel, the Dokdo.

[Pkg]

American soldiers stationed in South Korea enter a nuclear weapons storage facility. They quickly suppress the enemy and seize the weapons of mass destruction. Earlier this month, U.S. forces in Korea conducted military exercises at American military bases in Euijeongbu, Gyeonggi-do Province and other locations. The purpose of exercise "Warrior Strike" is to remove weapons of mass destruction. In particular, the South Korean Naval transport vessel, the 14,500-ton Dokdo, participated in this year's exercise for the first time. The ship-to-shore attack was the highlight of the exercise. South Korean and American soldiers waited on the Dokdo before boarding the helicopter from the deck and infiltrated North Korea's inland to penentrate the country's nuclear arsenal warehouse. The Dokdo, with a 199-meter deck, is capable of functioning as a small aircraft carrier when equipped with helicopters or vertical takeoff and landing aircraft. This is the first time that U.S. forces conducted a ship-to-shore drill using a South Korean naval warship. For the latest exercise U.S. forces deployed various high-tech equipment, including an unmanned robot for the removal of the enemy's explosives and biochemical weapons.

[Soundbite] Shin Jong-woo(Sec. Gen., Korea Defense & Security Forum) : "It means North Korea's weapons of destruction are considered serious and demonstrates the resolve of South Korea and the U.S. to deter the North's WMD by using all fighting power at their disposal, including the Dokdo."

Last March, about 400 American troops had also taken part in a drill to remove North Korean nuclear missiles.