S. Korean, U.S. Marines hold joint regular drills in Pohang

South Korean and U.S. Marines have kicked off a regular combined exercise in a southeastern coastal city to improve joint combat capabilities, the South's Marine Corps said Thursday. The three-week exercise got under way in Pohang, 262 kilometers southeast of Seoul, last Thursday, involving some 400 South Korean and U.S. Marines, as part of the U.S. Marine Corps' Korean Marine Exercise Program. The two sides will mobilize various military equipment and assets for the drills, including amphibious assault vehicles, unmanned aerial vehicles, K1A2 tanks, Marineon helicopters and U.S. CH-53E choppers. Over the past week, they staged combat firing and close-quarters battle training and plan to hold aerial assault drills, utilizing the helicopters from both sides. The South's Marine Corps said the exercise focuses on improving combined operational capabilities in a practical manner while building a solid alliance between the two sides. "Our continued alliance with the ROKMC is crucial to regional security and s tability," U.S. Marine Corps Maj. Joshua Burchfield was quoted as saying, using the acronym of the South's Marine Corps. Source: Yonhap News Agency