오늘 동해영토수호훈련 종료... 예년보다 규모 배로 커져<br /><br />South Korea has wrapped up a two-day maritime drill aimed at defending the country's territory in the East Sea, including the islets of Dokdo.<br />This year's drill was scaled up in light of Seoul's continuing trade spat with Tokyo... and recent intrusions by Chinese and Russian aircraft.<br />Oh Jung-hee reports.<br />South Korea's twice-yearly maritime drill to defend the country's easternmost islets of Dokdo ended on Monday.<br />The two-day 'East Sea Territory Defense Exercise' involved the Navy, Marines, Air Force and Coast Guard.<br />With the drill now over, the government will be reviewing the time and scale of a second drill to be held this year and deciding on a name for it.<br />"The name willl be determined considering the drill's scale, traits and the overall situation. The time of the next drill is not yet set."<br />The drill began only four days after Seoul decided to pull out of its bilateral intel-sharing pact with Japan.<br />The drills usually take place in June and December, but the first one this year was delayed until now due to concerns that it could worsen Seoul's relationship with Tokyo.<br />Japan has been making false territorial claims to South Korea's Dokdo islets.<br />But in light of the recent trade spat, South Korea changed course and came back with a Dokdo drill that's twice as big as previous ones.<br />10 warplanes and 10 warships have been deployed, one of which is Seoul's first Aegis-equipped destroyer, Sejong the Great, included in the drill for the first time.<br />Plus, the drill covered a larger area than the past, this time including the eastern island of Ulleng-do as well.<br />In a rare move, the military also revealed photos and footage of the drill.<br />The East Sea drill is widely seen as South Korea's second countermeasure, after terminating GSOMIA, against Japan's exclusion of Seoul from its whitelist of preferred trading partners.<br />But the drills are also to keep China and Russia in check.<br />Last month, a Russian airplane intruded into South Korean airspace over Dokdo twice... and two Chinese and Russian aircraft entered South Korea's air defense identification zone.<br />Seoul's presidential office said... the drill was to boost military capabilities against potential threats from (quote)"all forces."<br />Oh Jung-hee, Arirang News.<br />
