Seoul, May. South Korea plans to hold a multinational naval exercise later this month as part of an international initiative aimed at halting transfers of weapons of mass destruction, a South Korean defense ministry official said on Monday.
Yonhap reports that the country plans to stage Eastern Endeavor 23 exercise to enhance capabilities to combat the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction when it hosts the Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI) high-level meeting this month.
“Our military is planning to conduct a joint naval interdiction exercise with some countries on the occasion of a high-level PSI meeting scheduled to open in South Korea in late May for the first time,” the official said.
The official added that the details of the exercises, such as the participating countries, have not been finalized yet. However, the exercises are expected to focus on maritime interception and seizure operations.
Launched in 2003, PSI is a global effort aimed at stopping the trafficking of weapons of mass destruction, their delivery systems, and related materials.
MI