Military stages antisub drill in West Sea

The South Korean military conducted an antisubmarine drill in the West Sea on Thursday to mark the first day of the five-day joint military exercise designed to enhance its defense capabilities against North Korean provocations.

Mobilizing top-of-the-line naval and air assets, the military practiced searching for and chasing enemy submarines, dropping antisubmarine bombs and firing mock torpedoes in the sea near the scene of the March 26 naval disaster that took the lives of 46 sailors.

Using the “towed array sonar system,” the 4,500-ton destroyer Choi Young practiced detecting suspicious underwater objects. Lynx antisubmarine helicopters and the P-3C maritime aircraft were also mobilized to find the location of enemy submarines.

The 1,500-ton escort ship Jeonnam used the “torpedo acoustic counter measure” to stave off enemy torpedo attacks. Another 4,500-ton destroyer, Munmu the Great, sent out a Lynx chopper, which helped locate enemy submarines by using its “dipping sonar.” Other naval vessels also practiced firing antisubmarine bombs.

The maritime maneuvers are part of the efforts to respond to the sinking of the corvette Cheonan, which Seoul holds Pyongyang culpable for.

The communist state, which denies its culpability, has warned of a “strong physical counterstrike” against the exercise, which comes after the South Korea-U.S. exercise was conducted in the East Sea last month in a display of force against the North.

Some 4,500 people from the Army, the Navy, the Air Force, the Marine Corps and the maritime police are taking part in the exercise.

The military has mobilized nearly 30 naval vessels, including the 14,000-ton amphibious landing ship Dokdo, the 4,500-ton KDX-II destroyers, and about 50 aircraft, including KF-16 fighter jets.

The military has said that the exercise will focus on strengthening capabilities to respond to the enemy’s asymmetric provocations and joint operational capabilities, underscoring its resolve not to condone any further North Korean provocations.

“The exercise is a tailored and practical one (to prepare against) each type of enemy provocation, including provocations by enemy submarines and those along the Northern Limit Line,” said Rear Admiral Kim Kyung-sik of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in a press briefing on Wednesday.

During the exercise, live-fire drills are expected to take place near the five islands in close proximity to the maritime inter-Korean border. The Cheonan sank near the NLL. The Seoul-led multinational investigation team concluded in May that a North Korean midget submarine torpedoed the 1,200-ton vessel.

In related news, the military denied news reports that a sunken vessel found near the scene of the naval disaster might be related to the sinking of the Cheonan.

The military said that the ship, which seems to be a fishing vessel, appears to have sunk several decades ago considering the amount of rust on it and its structure.

By Song Sang-ho (sshluck@heraldcorp.com)