The four days of exercises are intended to demonstrate the “powerful determination (of the allies) in the face of North Korean provocations” and improve their ability to carry out joint naval operations, the South Korean Navy said in a statement.
More than 20 American and South Korean ships, including the aircraft carrier nuclear The USS Ronald Reagan, a US cruiser, and destroyers from both countries participated in the exercises, according to a Navy statement. American and South Korean fighters and helicopters would also participate.
It would be the first joint exercises with a US aircraft carrier near the peninsula since 2017, when the United States sent three aircraft carriers, including the Reagan, to conduct exercises in South Korea in response to North Korean nuclear and missile tests. Since then, the allies had canceled or curtailed their exercises to support the now-stalled negotiations over North Korea’s nuclear program or prevent the spread of COVID-19.
The North Korean missile launched on Sunday traveled about 600 kilometers (370 miles) and reached a maximum altitude of 60 kilometers (37 miles) before hitting waters off North Korea’s east coast, according to South Korean estimates. Some experts believe North Korea could have launched a highly maneuverable, nuclear-capable ballistic missile with enough range to hit a South Korean port where the Reagan had been moored.
Pyongyang has broken its record for missile tests this year and flatly rejects calls from Washington and Seoul to resume nuclear diplomacy. North Korea has said it will not return to talks unless the United States abandons its hostile policies, an apparent reference to the US-led maneuvering with South Korea and economic sanctions on it.
North Korea this month passed a new law authorizing the preemptive use of nuclear weapons in some situations, a sign of an increasingly aggressive nuclear doctrine. Some analysts believe that Pyongyang ultimately seeks arms control negotiations with the United States to secure sanctions relief and other concessions in exchange for a partial relinquishment of its nuclear capabilities.