Phl, U.S., Korean navies launch training exercise

Korean Navy personnel are in the country and participating in a two-week humanitarian and disaster response training with their counterparts from the Philippines and the United States, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) announced on Tuesday.

AFP spokesperson Col. Francel Margareth Padilla said there were approximately 190 US and Korean sailors on board the participating vessels of the three countries, including training participants and observers.

“We anticipate increased participation from our allied nations in the coming days. This exercise will showcase our interoperability and integration of humanitarian assistance and disaster response operations,” Padilla said.

The Philippine Navy, Korean Navy and US Navy are holding the Indo-Pacific humanitarian exercise in Legazpi City, Albay. The exercise includes search and rescue operations and other missions related to humanitarian assistance and disaster response.

South Korea has deployed its ROKN Il Chul Bong

LST-688 vessel, while the US Navy is utilizing the fast transport USNS City of Bismarck.

Additionally, military and medical teams from Australia, the United Kingdom, and the US are joining the Pacific Partnership Mission to enhance the urban search and rescue capacity of the local disaster management office by 30 percent.

The exercise officially began on 1 August and will continue until 14 August.