Korean Army holds joint drill to counter possible N.K. terror attacks

The South Korean Army on Tuesday conducted a joint military drill with police, government officials and private experts to counter possible terrorist attacks by North Korea, officials said.

South Korea's 2nd Operations Command said that the joint anti-terror exercise was conducted at a football stadium in Daegu, some 302 kilometers south of Seoul, as part of the broader ongoing annual military exercise between South Korea and the United States.

The Army's drill, which involved some 250 personnel and military assets including 21 helicopters, was aimed at building capacity to counter terrorist attacks in non-frontline areas in a speedy manner, officials said.

The move came amid heightened tension on the divided peninsula as North Korea threatened Monday to wage a "preemptive nuclear strike" on South Korea and the U.S. against the allies' Ulchi exercise.

North Korea has long denounced the joint drill as a rehearsal for a northward invasion, a charge denied by Seoul and Washington.

"If a terrorist attack occurs at facilities used by many people such as stadiums, the damage is expected to be huge," said Gen.

Park Chan-ju, commander of the 2nd Operations Command. "We need to actively prepare for such a situation in an aggressive manner." (Yonhap)