World

South Korea, US army hold joint drills amid tensions with North

An elite South Korean army unit conducted a joint military drill with the U.S. Army on Friday at a training field in Paju, located near the inter-Korean border, amid heightened tensions with the North.

The drill was planned to share warfighting skills between the two countries and improve joint military operations as readiness among the combined defenses is needed after North Korea’s recent consecutive provocations, the South Korean Army said in a statement.

About 800 military officers were mobilized for the drill, which involves the Army TIGER brigade, an elite South Korean unit armed with artificial intelligence technology and the latest weapon systems, and the U.S. Stryker Brigade, a mechanized infantry company.

North Korea fired an unprecedented number of missiles in 2022, and has continued with tests in 2023, pressing on with the development of weapons amid speculation it could test a nuclear warhead for a seventh time.