US and South Korea staging biggest military drills for years as North ramps up tensions
On the southeast coast of South Korea its military is rehearsing.
It’s simulating the storming of a contested beach. Waves of KAAV amphibious assault vehicles crash on to the sand, groups of infantry disembark and run to take up positions.
It is an impressive display with a precise focus, to defend peace on this peninsula.
This sort of thing is routine enough for a nation still technically at war with its nuclear-armed northern neighbour, but it is the presence of its partner that is far less so.
Indeed, these drills are being run in collaboration with the United States and its that that’s drawn attention.
“We’re here to support our alliance with the Republic of Korea Marine Corp and Navy,” says Captain Kevin Buss of the US Marines.
“It’s been a while since the last time we’ve done it, but this is a routine exercise, it’s defensive in nature and it’s just contributing to the combined defence of the Korean Peninsula.”
He was being careful with his words, but the broader message spoke for itself.
Indeed, the huge amphibious vehicle that roared onto the sand to “support” the initial Korean wave seemed to offer an apt metaphor for this relationship.
A series of joint drills named Freedom Shield and Warrior Shield have been running for several weeks.
It’s the first time they’ve gone ahead at this scale for five years.
They had previously happened annually, but were paused in the wake of the historic 2018 meeting between the US and North Korean leaders, President Trump and Kim Jong-Un.
At that time they agreed to a denuclearisation deal, but negotiations since fell apart and the resumption of the drills is a reflection of how tensions have spiralled since.
Indeed, last year North Korea launched more missiles than during any since Kim Jong-Un came to power in 2011.
There are some in South Korea that see these drills as provocative, an escalation that makes them less safe. A handful of protestors baring banners reading “US troops get out of Korea” showed up at the drills site and were quickly moved on by police.
And these views are not unfounded. North Korea sees American military cooperation with the south as particularly threatening and provocative.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
North Korea launches missile to ‘strike fear into enemies’
It has responded in the last few weeks by launching a barrage of nuclear capable missiles, including one from a submarine and its most advanced intercontinental ballistic missile to date. It has also unveiled nuclear warheads and a new underwater drone capable, it says, of unleashing a “super-scale radioactive tsunami”.
The South Korean government insists in light of this its response is proportionate, necessary and defensive.
“North Korea has constantly been developing nuclear weapons for years despite our efforts to have talks with them,” says Shin Beom-chul, South Korea’s vice defence minister.
“The reality is that the threat has been increasing. So, in response to the rising threat, we have been resuming military drills since President Yoon was inaugurated.
“If North Korea’s current level of progress is anywhere near its previous nuclear tests, then yes, I believe they could test a nuclear weapon whenever they please.”
If another full nuclear test is undertaken, it will be the first since 2017 and it will be a major escalation.
It is the “next step” many fear, as South Korea may find it hard not to respond.
There is nothing new about the threats in this part of the world, but it certainly feels efforts to deter them are being renewed, this time with a message of strength and allegiance.
A number of European leaders have hit out at the terms of the United States and European Union trade deal.
Speaking after talks in Turnberry, Mr Trump told reporters it was the “biggest deal ever made” and will be “great for cars” as well as having a “big impact” on agriculture.
European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said the “big deal” would help bring “stability” to trade after months of turmoil over the threat of a trade war.
The US will impose 15% tariffs on most EU goods entering America, after Mr Trump had threatened a 30% levy.
But French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou said of the terms: “It is a sombre day when an alliance of free peoples, brought together to affirm their common values and to defend their common interests, resigns itself to submission.”
Long-time EU critic, Hungarian PM Viktor Orban, responded: “This is not an agreement … Donald Trump ate von der Leyen for breakfast, this is what happened and we suspected this would happen as the U.S. president is a heavyweight when it comes to negotiations while Madame President is featherweight.”
President Donald Trump shakes hands with European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen in Turnberry. Pic: Reuters
Others welcomed news of an agreement but seemed resigned to the terms.
The deal includes $600bn (£446bn) of EU investments in the US, and the bloc will buy $750bn (£558bn) of US energy and also purchase American military equipment.
Mr Trump said: “I think it’s great that we made a deal today instead of playing games and maybe not making a deal at all.”
He said: “We are agreeing that the tariff… for automobiles and everything else will be a straight across tariff of 15%.” However, the 15% baseline rate would not apply to steel and aluminium, for which a 50% tariff would stay in place.
Ms Von der Leyen said: “We have a trade deal between the two largest economies in the world and it’s a big deal, it’s a huge deal. It will bring stability, it will bring predictability, that’s very important for our businesses on both sides of the Atlantic.”
She said the agreement would include 15% tariffs “across the board”, and it would help rebalance trade between the two large trading partners.
She said the levy rate was the “best we could get” regarding the car sector.
But she added that there was “no decision” on the spirits sector, which was one of those areas where the details in the framework trade deal would have to be examined in the coming weeks.
Read more from Sky News:
Wildfires break out in Greece, Turkey and Albania
Conservatives vow to ban doctor strikes
Listen to The World with Richard Engel and Yalda Hakim every Wednesday
Mr Trump had earlier said the main sticking point was “fairness”, citing barriers to US exports of cars and agriculture.
He went into the talks demanding fairer trade with the 27-member bloc and threatening steep tariffs to achieve that, while insisting the US will not go below 15% import taxes.
For months, Mr Trump has threatened most of the world with large tariffs in the hope of shrinking major US trade deficits with many key trading partners, including the EU.
In case there was no deal and the US had imposed 30% tariffs from 1 August, the EU has prepared counter-tariffs on €93bn (£81bn) of US goods.
Ahead of their meeting on Sunday, Ms Von der Leyen described Mr Trump as a “tough negotiator and dealmaker”.
The deal mirrors parts of the framework agreement the US clinched with Japan last week.
-
Sports3 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports1 year agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Sports2 years agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Sports2 years agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Sports4 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Sports2 years agoButton battles heat exhaustion in NASCAR debut
-
Environment2 years agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Environment2 years agoGame-changing Lectric XPedition launched as affordable electric cargo bike