S. Korea, US ‘infiltrate’ enemy

Troops practise raiding rival facility as tensions with N. Korea rise

SEOUL: South Korean and US special forces troops recently conducted drills simulating the infiltration of an enemy facility, US military photos show, as tensions with North Korea ratchet up ahead of a yearend deadline.

South Korean and US commandos raided the facility and led out a man with his hands tied behind the back during the exercise described as a joint regular close-quarters battle training last month at a US military base in the southwestern South Korean city of Gunsan.

A South Korean official said the drill was designed as a hostage rescue operation training as part of a counter-terrorism drill conducted quarterly by the allies. The US Forces Korea did not respond to a request for comment.

The rare release of the photos by the US Defense Visual Information Distribution Service comes ahead of a year-end deadline set by Pyongyang for Washington to soften its stance in stalled talks.

South Korea’s Chosun Ilbo newspaper, which first reported the training, said the drills were intended to simulate a scenario to capture

North Korean executives.

Screenshots of what it said was a now deleted video from the Pentagon showed a man in military uniform akin to that of North Korea collapse upon a gunshot from one of the commandos, Chosun Ilbo said.

Pyongyang has in the past accused the United States and South Korea of seeking to topple its regime with “hostile policy”, while slamming their regular joint military exercises as plots to “decapitate” its leadership and a rehearsal for war.

South Korea under a previous administration had planned to launch a special unit in 2017 tasked with “removing or paralysing” North Korea’s top command in the event of a war.

Tension has been growing in recent weeks as North Korea conducts a series of weapons tests and waged a war of words with US President Donald Trump in an apparent bid to underscore its yearend deadline.

Earlier this month, Trump said the United States reserved the right to use military force against North Korea.