Aussies join army drill in South Korea
DateApril 21, 2013 5 reading now
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Australian combat troops have for the first time taken part in annual South Korea-US joint military drills.
The 18-member army unit joined a landing drill held near the southeastern city of Pohang as part of the Foal Eagle US-South Korea joint military exercise, a South Korean defence ministry spokesman said.
Australia is a member of the 16-nation United Nations Command, and fought alongside South Korea during the Korean War against North Korea and China.
Australian casualties in the 1950-53 war numbered more than 1500, of whom 340 were killed, according to the Australian War Memorial’s official website.
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It was the first time combat troops from a United Nations Command member state had joined a US-South Korea joint exercise since the Korean War, the South Korean spokesman said.
The inclusion of Australian troops followed a request from Canberra ”to gain experience in joint military exercises”, he added.
The month-long exercises started on April 5, and involved 3000 South Korean and US marines.
The Korean peninsula has been in a state of heightened military tension since North Korea carried out its third nuclear test in February.
In response to fresh UN sanctions and joint South Korea-US military exercises, Pyongyang has spent weeks issuing blistering threats of missile strikes and nuclear war.
AFP
Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/political-news/aussies-join-army-drill-in-south-korea-20130420-2i72q.html#ixzz2R4WV9gSh
One thought on “Aussies join army drill in South Korea”
Neville
21 April, 2013
Our troops should not be involved in Korea.
Remember the early 1950/s and later Vietnam.
These are not Australia’s issues and many
lost their lives.