Why Are the ROK-US Navies Conducting Anti-Submarine Warfare Exercises in the East Sea?

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] The South Korean and U.S. navies will conduct training to detect and track U.S. nuclear submarines during their joint exercises starting today. This is interpreted as training aimed at North Korean submarines and deterring submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) provocations.

According to the military on the 26th, the South Korea-U.S. naval joint exercise, which began today for four days, includes anti-submarine warfare training involving the detection and tracking of the U.S. nuclear-powered submarine USS Annapolis (SSN-760, 6,000 tons). Through this anti-submarine warfare training, they can naturally enhance their ability to detect and track North Korean submarines equipped with SLBMs and operating underwater.

Training to detect and track nuclear submarines stealthily operating deep under the seabed in the East Sea is highly unusual. It is interpreted as a response to recent signs of North Korean SLBM provocations.

The Presidential Office disclosed unusually that on the 23rd, President Yoon Suk-yeol, returning from an overseas trip, chaired a security situation briefing aboard Air Force One, during which he assessed signs and movements of North Korean provocations such as SLBMs. North Korea has previously revealed new SLBMs, the Pukguksong-4 and Pukguksong-5, but has not conducted test launches, nor has it revealed the 3,000-ton submarine under development.

The possibility of a 7th nuclear test cannot be ruled out. It is known that North Korea has completed restoration work on Tunnel No. 3 at the Punggye-ri nuclear test site in Kilju County, North Hamgyong Province, which was closed in May 2018. The focus is on verifying the performance of miniaturized nuclear warheads small enough to be mounted on short-range ballistic missiles, solidifying its status as a nuclear-armed state.

Professor Yang Moo-jin of the University of North Korean Studies said, "North Korea is exploring the deployment of U.S. aircraft carriers on the Korean Peninsula and the extended deterrence of South Korea and the U.S., while also intending to pave the way for SLBMs and the 7th nuclear test."