US-South Korea prepare to show off "formidable firepower", risking "angering" North Korea

Weapon systems are displayed at the site of a joint US-South Korea live-fire exercise in Pocheon on May 25. (Source: Yonhap)

South Korean officials said the joint live-fire exercise, the first in six years, took place at the Seungjin live-fire training facility, also known as the Nightmare training ground, in Pocheon city, 52 kilometers northeast of Seoul.

The event was intended to deliver a powerful message: The Alliance will only grow stronger to achieve “ peace through strength.”

The exercise is expected to be a formidable display of allied firepower, with key weapon systems such as the F-35A radar-evading fighter jet, AH-64 Apache attack helicopter, K2 battle tank and multiple launch rocket system. The US may deploy A-10 attack aircraft and F-16 fighter jets.

Observers say the move could anger Pyongyang. Last week, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said the plan to conduct military exercises against a "nuclear power" was "absolute nonsense".

The drills come amid high tensions between the two Koreas as Pyongyang pushes to develop weapons systems such as underwater nuclear attack drones and solid-fuel missiles, which observers say are disguised as space launch vehicles.