Korean troops take part in the annual Cobra Gold exercise in Thailand in this March 4 photo provided by the Marine Corps. Yonhap
Korean Marines have joined a major U.S.-led multinational exercise in Thailand as part of efforts to enhance their coordination with forces from other countries, officials said Tuesday.
The annual Cobra Gold exercise kicked off last Tuesday for an 11-day run, involving more than 200 Korean Marines and various military hardware, including K-55 self-propelled howitzers, according to the Marine Corps.
Alongside U.S., Thai, Indonesian, Japanese, Malaysian and Singaporean forces, Korean troops staged various drills, including a combined amphibious landing exercise at a beach in southern Thailand from Saturday to Monday.
Some 600 Korean, U.S. and Thai Marines took part in the amphibious landing drills that mobilized amphibious assault vehicles and landing craft, it said.
The exercise also involved training in space operations, which Korean troops fully participated in for the first time this year after taking part as observers last year.
Launched in 1982, Cobra Gold focuses on training multinational forces for a range of procedures aimed at stabilizing a region embroiled in a virtual armed conflict.
Korea has formally taken part in the exercise since 2010 after attending it as an observer from 2002 to 2009. (Yonhap)
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