S. Korea, U.S. hold joint river-crossing drills

South Korea and the United States are conducting combined river-crossing military drills in a border county, the Army here said Wednesday, as part of the allies’ ongoing springtime exercise.

The allies mobilized some 400 troops, two Apache attack helicopters and 50 pieces of equipment, such as makeshift bridges, for the 12-day drills that run through Friday in Yeoncheon, 62 kilometers north of Seoul.

The drills focused on ensuring interoperability among the allies’ river-crossing assets and establishing operational methods capitalizing on their combined military equipment, according to the Army.

Participants were from the Army’s 3rd Engineer Brigade and an engineer battalion under the U.S. 2nd Infantry Division/ROK-U.S. Combined Division.

The combined division was launched in 2015 as an emblem of the Seoul-Washington alliance. ROK stands for the South’s official name, the Republic of Korea.

During the drills, the choppers provided air cover with some personnel setting up a smoke screen to protect troops on the ground as they assembled a makeshift bridge to cross the 180-meter wide Imjin River, the armed service said.

“This exercise served as an opportunity to maximize the interoperability of the river-crossing equipment of South Korea and the United States and for the troops to experience the importance of the alliance,” an Army official was quoted as saying.

The river-crossing training is proceeding alongside the allies’ 11-day computer-simulated Freedom Shield exercise that began Monday.

Meanwhile, the South’s Air Force conducted standalone air drills, featuring nonstop daytime and nighttime fighter jet sorties from major air bases across the country.

With a focus on reinforcing capabilities to operate continuously during wartime, the 36-hour exercise kicked off Tuesday morning. It mobilized fully armed F-35A, F-15K and KF-16 fighters.