South Korean military exercises in the East Sea/Sea of Japan scheduled

Last edited Mon Aug 5, 2019, 03:36 PM - Edit history (1)

(Image source- JTBC News 8.5) Defense of Dokdo military exercise two days before Liberation day holiday

JTBC News is reporting this morning from Ministry of Defense related sources that the regularly scheduled annual ROK Navy exercise in the East Sea/Sea of Japan in the vicinity of the Dokdo island territory is expected to take place August 13 and 14. The exercise was previously expected to take place in June but was put off for diplomatic reasons. This military exercise could present the opportunity for another at sea incident or confrontation with Japan such as occurred with the so called maritime patrol incidents in December 2018 and January 2019 between the maritime patrol aircraft of the Japanese maritime self defense force and South Korean navy surface combatants

Timing of the exercise is expected to directly precede the South Korean celebration of Gwang Bok Cheol, August 15, the annual commemoration of the liberation of Korea from Japanese imperial rule in 1945 by the United States. A demonstration against Japanese trade restraints on South Korea is planned for August 15 in Kwang Hwa Moon plaza in central Seoul. There still remains a possibility that the military exercise could be postponed or suspended. It is not believed likely in the current political climate.

The Japanese publicly reasserted their territorial claim to the island rocks last month when Dokdo's airspace was violated twice by a Russian military aircraft. On July 23 South Korean fighter aircraft fired hundreds of warning shots to ward off the Russian A-50 aircraft which violated Dokto's 12 mile limit. The Russian military plane had been participating in a coordinated exercise with Chinese and Russian long range bombers.