The schedule of the multinational maritime interdiction exercise related to the Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI) scheduled to be held on the 31st by the South Korean military has been partially adjusted. This is because the weather conditions in the training area are expected to deteriorate due to the northbound of Typhoon No. 2 ‘Mawar’.
On the 30th, the Ministry of National Defense announced through a notice to reporters, “The PSI Maritime Interdiction Drill, which will be held on the 31st, has been adjusted to conduct maritime drills between US, Japanese, and Australian vessels, including Korea, as short procedure training in the high seas due to deteriorating weather.” . As a result, delegations from around the world, including Minister of National Defense Lee Jong-seop, were also canceled to observe drills and maritime inspections.
The Ministry of National Defense said, “(After the training), only our Navy and Coast Guard vessels will be anchored in the Jeju Civilian Military Complex Port base and will conduct anchorage training such as embarkation inspection procedures.” said.
The military authorities planned to conduct a maritime interdiction drill in the high seas southeast of Jeju on the 31st, involving Korean, US and Australian navies, and Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force ships, on the occasion of the PSI 20th anniversary high-level meeting in Jeju from the 30th.
The training was supposed to be carried out in such a way that each country’s maritime power blocks the operation of a ship suspected of carrying WMD, and then directly boards and searches the ship. As a result, the maritime inspection of ships participating in the drill by Minister Lee failed.
After the initial training, Minister Lee boarded the South Korean Navy’s large transport ship, the Marado, along with the South Korean Navy’s destroyer Wang Geon, Coast Guard Boat No. It was planned to conduct a naval review of the naval frigate ‘Anzac’.
In particular, ships participating in the training, including the Japanese Self-Defense Force escort ships, drew attention as they were expected to salute the Marado ship on which Minister Lee was on board during the sea review.
The Japan Self-Defense Force’s frigate Hamagiri entered Busan’s Naval Operations Base on the 29th with a self-defense flag in the Rising Sun pattern on the 29th, causing controversy. The Rising Sun Flag is the military flag of the old Japanese army and is regarded as a symbol of Japanese militarism.
This PSI high-level meeting and Asia-Pacific rotation training will be held in Jeju from this day to the 2nd of next month.
According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, Typhoon Mawar, No. 2, is heading north toward Okinawa, Japan, passing through the sea around 680 km southeast of Taiwan around 3 a.m. that day.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.