END OF DOKDO DEFENSE DRILL

[Anchor Lead]

This year's first Dokdo defense drill, the largest to date, began on Sunday and has now wrapped up. On Monday, the Coast Guard conducted an exercise that assumed an illegal intrusion on Dokdo by foreign vessels. The government is expected to soon review the date and scale of the next Dokdo defense drill.

[Pkg]

The two-day Dokdo defense drill, the first this year, ended Monday. Unlike the first-day action held behind closed doors, the second day focused on responding to possible intrusions on the Dokdo islets by foreign private vessels. A government official said the hypothesis was in consideration of the possibility of right-wing Japanese forces making their way to Dokdo. Monday's drill was led by the Coast Guard while the Navy played a supporting role. The troop size was also smaller on the second day compared to Sunday when a large number of troops was mobilized, nearly twice that of past years. Four Coast Guard ships, five Navy vessels as well as three aircraft and Coast Guard special forces were mobilized for the Monday exercise. The government has formally changed the drill's title to the East Sea defense drill from this year, and expanded training to cover the whole East Sea including Ulleungdo Island. The size of participating troops was also the largest to date. The government is expected to keep the current name and maintain the scale of the exercise for the time being. The revisions reflect the changing security environment that involves the defense of not only Dokdo but also against Russian aircraft violating Korean airspace.

[Soundbite] JANG WOOK(NAVY PUBLIC RELATIONS) : "The nature and scale of the next drill will be decided after considering relevant circumstances."

The government will observe conditions at home and abroad and also relations with Japan and begin reviewing the time, scale, and title of this year's second defense drill in the Dokdo and East Sea area.