US and allies carry out more drills in face of North Korean threat

The US, South Korea and Japan have carried out a joint exercise in waters near the Korean Peninsula as they expand military training to counter the growing threat from North Korea’s nuclear-capable missiles, the South Korean navy said (South Korea Defence Ministry/AP)

The United States, South Korea and Japan carried out a joint missile defence exercise in waters near the Korean Peninsula on Monday as they expand military training to counter the growing threat from North Korea’s nuclear-capable missiles.

Last week, North Korea conducted one of its most provocative weapons demonstrations in years by flight-testing for the first time an intercontinental ballistic missile powered by solid propellants, as it pursues a weapon that is more responsive, harder to detect and could directly target the continental United States.