Increasingly frequent joint exercises with the USA highlight tensions in relations with North Korea.
In this month, the US Navy and the Republic of Korea Navy completed joint fleet exercises aimed at improving submarine tracking and interaction against the backdrop of increased nuclear threats from North Korea, as reported by Sarbaz.kz citing the US Navy.
The exercises, known as "Silent Shark," occurred amid the growing interaction between allies. The USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier visited Pusan this month following trilateral maritime exercises involving South Korea, the USA, and Japan.
According to the US Navy, the high-speed US Navy submarine Topeka and the South Korean diesel-electric submarine Jung Ji teamed up with maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft from the US Navy's 8th Patrol Squadron and the South Korean Navy's 611th Squadron.
The naval forces conducted exercises near Guam, allowing Jung Ji to make several port calls at US naval bases in Guam during the exercises, which began in 2007 and are held every two years.
It's worth noting that the USA, Japan, and South Korea have already conducted joint aerial exercises. Earlier, in August of this year, the three countries signed a treaty on trilateral military cooperation at Camp David in an attempt to counter China and North Korea's growing influence.