On Tuesday, March 28, tens of thousands of US marines joined South Korean forces to simulate an amphibious invasion in case war breaks out between South and North Korea.
In order to prevent an attack by US and South Korean forces, North Korea has been developing a ballistic missile arsenal.
In retaliation, Washington and Seoul have been conducting exercises, all of which they claim to be defensive in nature.
However, on March 29, the US and South Korea conducted an amphibious invasion drill using thousands of troops and sophisticated weapons. This maneuver is offensive in nature and is meant to seize territory rather than defend it.
The 2,200 US Marines participating in Exercise Ssang Yong at Pohang on South Korea’s southern coast said;
The commander of the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit, Col. Samuel Meyer, stated, “I don’t think we’re doing anything different or odd.
Marines from South Korea arrived first in waves of 23-ton amphibious assault vehicles during the full offensive training.
Huge US Navy hovercraft, known as LCACs, followed as the South Korean Marines moved to a tree line behind the beach and released eight-wheeled amphibious vehicles. The USS Nimitz, a 98,000-ton aircraft carrier of the US Navy, was also engaged in its own operations off the peninsula during this time.
Attack helicopters, Osprey transports, and F-35B stealth fighters were all visible in the sky, 10 of which were aboard the lurking amphibious assault ship USS Makin Island, located 30 miles from land.
“This exercise has been performed for 70 years. Meyer shot down claims made by Pyongyang that the US is pressuring North Korea to advance its nuclear program for deterrence, saying, “It’s not new.
“This is commonplace. Based on what we saw and experienced, we’re just getting back to the routine, the US Marine colonel said.
At least six South Korean naval ships could be seen deploying troops ashore for Exercise Ssang Yong closer to the Pohang beach.
Wednesday morning saw the release of images purportedly showing North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspecting nuclear weapons while urging his troops to be prepared to use them “anytime and anywhere.”
