A major South Korean naval exercise designed to strengthen defences against North Korean attacks went into its second day Friday, as the communist North bristled over the drill. The exercise is one of a series planned in coming months in response to what the South says was a deadly North Korean torpedo attack on a warship.
The South has mobilised 4,500 troops, backed by 29 ships and 50 aircraft, for its five-day drill in the Yellow Sea. This week's manoeuvres do not include US forces, though last week South Korea and the United States staged a massive joint naval and air drill in the Sea of Japan (East Sea) as a show of force.