(LEAD) S. Korea, U.S. hold joint naval drills

All News 23:06 April 25, 2017

(ATTN: UPDATES with U.S. Navy statement)

SEOUL/WASHINGTON, April 25 (Yonhap) -- South Korea and the United States held joint live-fire exercises in the Yellow Sea on Tuesday in a show of their close alliance against North Korea, both countries said.

The drills involved the Navy's 4,400-ton destroyer Wanggeon and the USS Wayne E. Meyer, a U.S. Navy Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer, South Korea's Navy said.

The U.S. Navy's Seventh Fleet also said that it held similar exercises with Japan's Navy in the East Sea.

"Both exercises demonstrate a shared commitment to security and stability in Northeast Asia as well as the U.S. Navy's inherent flexibility to combine with allied naval forces in response to a broad range of situations," the fleet said in a statement.

This photo taken on March 22, 2017, shows a joint South Korea-U.S. naval drill in the Yellow Sea. (Yonhap)

South Korea and the U.S. also plan to hold another major joint naval practice "around the end of April" in the East Sea involving the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier.

The series of joint drills are aimed at demonstrating the allies' resolve to retaliate in case of the North's provocations and their "firm defense posture," the Navy said in a statement.

lcd@yna.co.kr
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