South Korea and the United States have conducted a joint drill preparing troops to infiltrate North Korea in the event of a contingency and eliminate any weapons of mass destruction(WMDs) they might discover, including nuclear weapons.

The South Korean Army’s 25th Infantry Division and the U.S. 2nd Infantry Division/South Korea-US Combined Division said Wednesday that they staged the joint drill at a training site in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, in parallel with the ongoing Freedom Shield exercise. 

The drill involved some 500 troops from the allied forces and about 50 pieces of equipment, including unmanned aerial vehicles(UAVs), and participants were tasked with removing nuclear, chemical, biological and radiological WMDs. 

In the training, a Special Forces reconnaissance team simulated an infiltration of enemy territory and the discovery of a suspected WMD facility, in which an Army unit used UAVs to check details such as the size of the facility and the number of troops before eliminating enemies and securing the facility. 

One participant said the drill helped foster confidence in the ability to secure and eliminate WMDs, adding that it was a valuable opportunity for the South Korean and U.S. militaries to share expertise and enhance their combined operational capabilities.