Marines aboard an amphibious assault vehicle take part in defense drills on the border island of Baengnyeong in the Yellow Sea on May 22, 2025, in this photo provided by the Marine Corps the next day. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, May 23 (Korea Bizwire) — The Marine Corps has staged regular defense drills on border islands in the Yellow Sea as part of efforts to maintain readiness against North Korean military threats, officials said Friday.
The three-day joint exercise involving the Army, Navy and Air Force began Wednesday on islands near the Northern Limit Line (NLL) — the de facto inter-Korean maritime boundary — mobilizing some 5,500 troops, more than 10 warships and around 40 aircraft.
The exercise focused on measures to counter North Korean threats, including drone infiltrations and artillery firings, and mobilized K9 self-propelled howitzers, Chunmoo multiple rocket launchers and amphibious assault vehicles.
On the island of Daecheong, Marines conducted medical treatment drills under a scenario of mass casualties, with the Armed Forces Daejeon Hospital mobilizing a drone taskforce to transport blood to the island.
The border sea areas have been a flashpoint between the two Koreas, as the North has never recognized the boundary and continued to demand that it be redrawn further south.
In November 2010, Pyongyang bombarded the border island of Yeonpyeong, killing two Marines and two civilians.
(Yonhap)
