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| South Korean and U.S. troops conduct a combined combat training drill in Inje, Gangwon Province, as part of its 11-day Freedom Shield joint exercise, in this photo provided by the Republic of Korea Army on Monday. Courtesy of Republic of Korea Army |
Dozens of events set for 70th anniversary of alliance
By Lee Hyo-jin
Dozens of events marking the 70th anniversary of the alliance between South Korea and the United States will be held throughout this year, including their largest-ever live-fire joint exercise scheduled for June, according to related ministries, Wednesday.
The Ministry of National Defense said the allies will demonstrate "formidable firepower and mobility on an unprecedented scale" in the planned drills amid North Korea's evolving nuclear and missile threats.
Since the inaugural live-fire joint drill conducted in June 1977, there have been 11 such exercises so far, with the latest held in April 2017 in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province. It involved South Korea's Apache helicopters, K2 battle tanks and F-15K fighters, along with the U.S.' Bradley armored vehicles and an A-10 fighter jet.
During this year's drills, the two sides will mobilize cutting-edge military equipment including unmanned assets to demonstrate the alliance's maneuverability, the ministry said.
The defense ministry will also hold large-scale ceremonies between late September and early October to mark the 75th Armed Forces Day which falls on Oct. 1. The U.S. Forces Korea will also participate in the ceremony, during which the military will demonstrate its deterrence system against North Korea.
Seoul and Washington will unveil a future defense vision of the bilateral alliance during their Security Consultative Meeting (SCM), an annual defense ministerial talks which is set to be held in Seoul this October. The two nations are also planning to jointly host an inaugural meeting with defense ministers from United Nations Command member states during the SCM.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, for its part, announced that an expert forum co-hosted by Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) and the Korean Association for International Studies will be held in mid-April.
The forum will take place in Washington, ahead of President Yoon Suk Yeol's visit to the capital city for a summit with U.S. President Joe Biden on April 26.
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| South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and U.S. President Joe Biden hold a summit at a hotel in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Nov. 13, 2022. Yonhap |
In the first half of this year, Korea's foreign ministry and the American Chamber of Commerce in Korea (AMCHAM) will organize a conference on economic partnership between the two sides. The ministry will also co-host a forum on space cooperation with the U.S. Department of State in the latter half of the year.
In the culture sector, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism plans to hold various events inviting young Koreans and Americans with an aim to spur cultural exchange among future leaders.
The alliance between Seoul and Washington was formed in October 1953 with the signing of the Mutual Defense Treaty, some two months after the end of the 1950-53 Korean War. Over the past seven decades, bilateral defense ties have widened to partnerships in various sectors including the economy, culture and people-to-people exchanges.
