S. Korean, U.S. Marines stage joint wintertime drills

South Korean and U.S. Marines have conducted combined wintertime drills in an eastern alpine county as part of an ongoing regular bilateral exercise, the South's Marine Corps said Friday. Some 110 troops from a South Korean Marine Corps reconnaissance unit and the U.S. 2nd Marine Division joined the drills in Pyeongchang, 131 kilometers east of Seoul, which began on Feb. 6 and will run through next Tuesday. The Marine Corps said the two sides focused training on combat capabilities and survival and maneuver skills in a snowy mountainous environment, employing various equipment, such as skis. The drills took place as part of the latest edition of the U.S. Marine Corps' Korea Marine Exercise Program, which began on Feb. 1 and is designed to hone combined defensive capabilities. Troops from the U.S. III Marine Expeditionary Force based in Okinawa arrived in South Korea on Sunday to participate in the event, according to the U.S. Forces Korea. Source: Yonhap News Agency