S. Korea, U.S. conduct river-crossing drills near border with N. Korea

South Korea and the United States have been conducting river-crossing drills near the border with North Korea to enhance the interoperability of their troops, Seoul's Army said Wednesday. The exercise has been under way on the Imjin River in the border city of Paju, located 37 kilometers north of Seoul, since March 11, according to the Army. Approximately 470 troops from the South Korean Army's 5th Armored Brigade and an engineering battalion under the U.S. 2nd Infantry Division/ROK-U.S. Combined Division have joined the two-week drill. About 65 pieces of equipment, CH-47D Chinook helicopters, AH-64E Apache attack helicopters, K1E1 tanks and short-range surface-to-air missiles were mobilized for the exercise. The drills focused on ensuring interoperability among the allies' river-crossing assets and establishing operational methods capitalizing on their combined military equipment, the Army said. Source: Yonhap News Agency