North Korea is expected to establish a new maritime boundary through a constitutional amendment at the upcoming Supreme People’s Assembly on October 7. Amid these developments, South Korea and the U.S. navies conducted a joint maritime exercise featuring a U.S. amphibious assault ship of carrier class.
The exercise is seen as preparation for possible provocations from North Korea, which may attempt to neutralize the Northern Limit Line (NLL) in the West Sea and create a constant state of conflict in the surrounding waters.
The South Korean Navy announced on October 3, “The navies of both countries conducted a joint maritime exercise off the coast of Pohang in the East Sea for two days, starting yesterday.” The drill aimed to enhance the operational capabilities and interoperability of the combined naval forces.
A naval official added, “This demonstrates the determination of South Korea and the U.S. to respond jointly to any threats from North Korea.”
The exercise involved four warships, including South Korea’s large amphibious transport ship ROKS Marado (LPH, 14,500 tons), the destroyer ROKS Chungmugong Yi Sun-sin (DDH-II, 4,500 tons), and the destroyer ROKS Yang Manchun (DDH-I, 3,200 tons). The U.S. participated with the amphibious assault ship USS Boxer (LHD-4, 40,000 tons), capable of carrying a significant number of F-35B stealth fighters.
The training involved various drills, such as maritime maneuvering, landing force escort operations, anti-aircraft warfare, and hovercraft towing exercises, aimed at enhancing combat readiness. Notably, the USS Boxer carried 10 F-35B stealth fighters on its flight deck, as shown in a video released by the Navy.
The F-35B is responsible for close air support (CAS) for ground forces and tactical bombing missions targeting North Korea’s key military bases, serving as a critical reinforcement asset in the event of a Korean Peninsula conflict.
Previously, the USS Boxer played a central role in the “Ssangyong” joint amphibious landing exercise, held from August 26 to September 7, involving the South Korean and U.S. navies and marines. North Korea’s Ministry of National Defense had condemned the exercise as a “reckless and highly dangerous military provocation” on September 5.
According to the Navy, the USS Boxer arrived at the Busan Operational Base on October 1, coinciding with the 76th Armed Forces Day, as a symbol of the strong U.S.-South Korea alliance, with an open house event held aboard the ship prior to the training.
The heightened vigilance by South Korean and U.S. military authorities comes amid concerns that North Korea may declare an arbitrary maritime boundary through the Supreme People’s Assembly and use it as justification for provocations.
Earlier this year, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un instructed the establishment of constitutional grounds to reject the NLL, stating, “The illegal and lawless Northern Limit Line and any boundary will not be tolerated. If South Korea violates even 0.001 mm of our territory, airspace, or waters, it will be considered a declaration of war.” Kim also referred to the NLL as a “baseless ghost line.”
Meanwhile, North Korea, in an effort to sever ties with South Korea under its policy of setting “hostile relations between the two states,” has reportedly changed the title of its long-term unconverted prisoners from “Unification Patriotic Fighters” to simply “Patriotic Fighters.”
On October 3, North Korea’s Rodong Sinmun reported that Kim Jong-un had sent a birthday gift to Lee Jae-ryong, an unconverted prisoner repatriated to North Korea in 2000, for his 80th birthday, under the headline “An Earnest Birthday Gift for the Indomitable Patriotic Fighter.”
The article noted, “Kim Jong-un bestows the same love upon all the indomitable patriotic fighters.” Until November last year, North Korea had referred to unconverted prisoners as “Unification Patriotic Fighters,” but the removal of the word “unification” this year seems to align with Kim Jong-un’s directive to erase concepts of “one nation” and “unification.”
BY YUJUNG LEE, YOUNGNAM KIM [uuu@joongang.co.kr]
