Korean Marines disembark from an amphibious landing vehicle at a southern coast in Thailand as part of the multinational Cobra Cold exercise in this March 3, 2023 file photo. Courtesy of the Marine Corps
Korea’s Navy and Marine Corps will participate in a large-scale annual multinational exercise in Thailand to hone capabilities in amphibious landing and humanitarian operations, officials said Wednesday.
The Navy’s 4,900-ton No Jeok Bong landing ship, carrying some 330 personnel, was set to depart a key naval base in Busan, 320 kilometers southeast of Seoul, later in the day to join the Cobra Gold exercise set to run from Feb. 26 to March 8.
The exercise, jointly led by Thailand and the United States, will take place in various regions in the Southeast Asian country and also be joined by Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and Japan, the officials said.
The multinational troops will stage various field maneuvers, including amphibious landing operations, special jungle warfare drills, and underwater construction training.
They will also conduct cyber defense drills, joined virtually by troops at the Navy’s cyber operations center.
The exercise will also include humanitarian support training, which will be joined by China and India.
Launched in 1982, Cobra Gold focuses on training multinational forces for a range of procedures to stabilize a region embroiled in a virtual armed conflict. Korea first joined the exercise as a full participant in 2010.
Meanwhile, Korean troops will visit the decommissioned HTMS Prasae warship, which was deployed to support Korea during the 1950-53 Korean War and now serves as a museum.
Thailand was among the 22 countries that backed Korea under the U.N. flag during the war. (Yonhap)
