Amid North Korea's Guam threat, S Korea and US begin naval drills

Seoul, Oct 16: Amid North Korea's fresh threats to fire missiles at Guam, South Korean and US troops have begun five days of naval drills in the Korean Peninsula.

South Korea's navy says the drills that began today in the waters off the Korean Peninsula involve fighter jets, helicopters as well as 40 naval ships including the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan.

South Korean and US militaries regularly conduct joint exercises, though North Korea condemns them as an invasion rehearsal.

North Korea last week accused the United States of provoking the country by mobilising the aircraft carrier and other war assets near the peninsula. The North said it could take military counteraction such as a salvo of missile launches into waters near Guam. North Korean officials on Friday renewed their threat to launch ballistic missiles near Guam, an American territory in the western Pacific.

US B-1B "Lancer" bombers earlier this week conducted live-fire exercises off both coasts of the demilitarised zone between North and South Korea, the US nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan has been undertaking manoeuvres nearby, and a nuclear-powered attack submarine made a high-profile visit to a South Korean port.

PTI