SEOUL, March 14 (Korea Bizwire) – A shocking revelation from a source within the South Korean government suggests the upcoming annual joint military drills between the U.S. and South Korea will see Navy SEAL Team 6, the special forces unit that killed Osama bin Laden, train for a decapitation strike against North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
Speaking to the South Korean media yesterday, a source close to senior government officials said, “This year’s Key Resolve and Foal Eagle exercise will be on a much bigger scale, with various U.S. special forces participating.
“These military special forces units will join the training where they’ll take on newly added tasks commensurate with the current relations between the South and the North,” the source added.
The new tasks include a simulation exercise to infiltrate North Korea, target military facilities, and remove Kim from the highest office in the event of a war.
In line with the speculation, reports in the South Korean media yesterday citing a military official also revealed the U.S. Army has recently begun the process of dispatching a squadron for the operation of a Grey Eagle unmanned aircraft.
“In case of a war on the Korean Peninsula, the unmanned aircraft could infiltrate the skies of North Korea and make precision strikes on the war command and other major military facilities,” the official said, speaking to Yonhap News Agency.
“The weapons are capable of striking major military facilities located just north of the Military Demarcation Line bisecting the two Koreas,” the official added.
Asahi Shimbun in Japan reported last Friday that Navy Seals are participating in the joint military drills in the waters around South Korea, which began earlier this month.
The Japanese newspaper said that the joint military drills were stepped up with the addition of simulation exercises to take out Kim in response to a number of recent missile tests by North Korea.
Last week, North Korea fired four ballistic missiles into the sea near Japan, and speculation continues to grow that the country will soon be capable of test-launching intercontinental ballistic missiles that could reach the continental United States.
Against the backdrop of a more emboldened North Korea under Kim Jung-un’s leadership, tensions continue to ripple through the Korean peninsula and neighboring Japan.
Hyunsu Yim (hyunsu@koreabizwire.com)