South Korea to join US multinational exercise Cyber Flag in a first

• 

South Korea's military will take part in the US-led multinational exercise Cyber Flag for the first time this week, the National Defense Ministry announced on Sunday.

The Ministry reported that a total of 18 military personnel from different branches would take part in the exercise. "Our military’s participation in the Cyber Flag exercises is an important opportunity to strengthen cyber threat readiness among allies and forge mutual partnerships," Gen. Kim Han-sung, the commander of the Cyber Operations Command in Seoul, said.

The US Cyber Command has been conducting annual exercises to bolster the "defensive skills" of Washington and its allies for cyberattacks. The 2022 Cyber Flag will take place from October 24-28, with 25 countries participating, including the United States, South Korea, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

During their first summit in May, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol and US President Joe Biden pledged to "deepen and broaden cooperation on critical and emerging technologies, and cyber security."

Earlier this month, in reaction to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's (DPRK) launching of an Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile over Japan, South Korean and US fighter jets conducted precision bombing drills, according to Seoul's military.

Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff said, "With the participation of four South Korean Air Force F-15Ks and four US Air Force F-16 fighters, South Korea's F-15K fired two joint direct attack munition (JDAM) bombs against a virtual target at the Jikdo shooting field in the West Sea," referring to the Yellow Sea.

Additionally, the Joint Chiefs of Staff explained that the drills are aimed at demonstrating the allies' "capabilities to conduct a precision strike at the origin of provocations."

Moreover, at the end of last month, a US aircraft carrier and its battle group began conducting training exercises with South Korean warships off the east coast of the Korean Peninsula.

The nuclear-powered USS Ronald Reagan, the USS Chancellorsville, a guided-missile cruiser, and the USS Barry, a guided missile destroyer, which anchored in Busan, South Korea on September 23, were taking part in the drills. 

The drills come after a day after the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) allegedly launched a short-range ballistic missile into the Sea of Japan, according to South Korean news agency Yonhap, citing the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS).

From military drills to cyber attack exercises, the US-South Korea alliance continues to stir provocations against the DPRK in an already tense region.