[Exclusive] British warships arrive

[Anchor]

Recently, the UK conducted a maritime joint exercise with the United States and Japan in the Pacific to counter China.

The British aircraft carrier strike group that completed the exercise has arrived in South Korea.

A joint exercise between South Korea and the UK will also take place in the waters off the Korean Peninsula.

This is an exclusive report by Song Geum-han.

[Report]

The British Navy's Richmond, part of the aircraft carrier strike group, has made its appearance at Busan Port.

The 4,900-ton frigate was welcomed by our frigate, the Gwangmyeong.

[Baek Jun-hee/Commander of the South Korean Frigate Gwangmyeong: "Welcome to Korea. (Thank you.)"]

The aircraft carrier strike group led by the British Prince of Wales conducted large-scale military exercises last week near the Philippines with the US, Japan, and others.

This was essentially a drill in preparation for a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, and after completing the exercise, they headed straight to our waters.

The British frigate Richmond, which has entered Korea for the first time, operates torpedoes and anti-submarine helicopters, primarily tasked with detecting and striking enemy submarines.

On Aug. 4, F-35B fighter jets and aerial refueling aircraft from the British aircraft carrier strike group conducted joint exercises with our Air Force over the East Sea, and next month, the aircraft carrier Prince of Wales will demonstrate maritime air power in our waters.

[Richard Kemp/Commander of the British Frigate Richmond: "We've come to this part of the world, to the Indo-Pacific, which is a really important part of the world for the UK. To promote prosperity, cooperation, and stability operating with vital partners and allies such as South Korea."]

Following the large-scale exercises by the US, Japan, and the UK, the joint training between our country and the UK is seen as solidifying the four-nation maritime coalition of South Korea, the US, Japan, and the UK to counter China.

[Professor Kim Young-jun/Korea National Defense University Graduate School of Security Studies: "Ahead of the Korea-US summit, this shows a willingness to participate in President Trump's call for South Korea to clarify its stance on the China issue..."]

Previously, China criticized the deployment of the British aircraft carrier strike group in East Asia as a show of force.

KBS News, Song Geum-han.