(LEAD) S. Korea's military holds joint amphibious landing drills

Defense 16:37 October 26, 2022

(ATTN: UPDATES with new photos of exercise)

SEOUL, Oct. 26 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's military on Wednesday conducted amphibious landing drills with a focus on enhancing "real-world" combat capabilities, the Marine Corps said, amid its stepped-up efforts to counter evolving North Korean threats.

The drills took place in Pohang, 272 kilometers southeast of Seoul, as part of this year's Hoguk defense exercise that began Oct. 17 and runs through Friday.

The military mobilized some 6,000 personnel from the Navy and Marine Corps, and around 40 amphibious vehicles, as well as about 50 aircraft and more than 10 military vessels, including the ROKS Dokdo amphibious assault ship.

"Through the training this time, we will be equipped with capabilities to make an immediate response anytime, anywhere and under any circumstances, when given a mission," a Marine official was quoted as saying.

The training was designed to practice harnessing various armed services' assets for joint amphibious operations to charge into the coast to secure a target area, the Marine Corps said.

The drills also simulated "complex" enemy threats and were joined by other branches of the military, including the Army Aviation Operations Command, the Air Force Operations Command and the Cyber Operations Command.

The training comes in the wake of Pyongyang's continued saber-rattling, including its firing of multiple rocket launchers into the Yellow Sea on Monday.