Pyeongchang: The Marines of South Korea and the United States have commenced their regular joint wintertime drills to bolster operational capabilities, the South Korean Marine Corps announced on Friday. The exercises began on January 2 at a training center in Pyeongchang, located approximately 180 kilometers east of Seoul, and involve around 360 personnel from a South Korean Marine Corps reconnaissance unit and about 300 U.S. Marines.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the drills are set to continue until February 26, taking place in various locations across the Gangwon and North Gyeongsang provinces, as well as Ganghwa County. These exercises are designed to include winter specialty training and small-unit tactical exercises. The focus is on enhancing the reconnaissance unit's ability to detect and strike key enemy facilities in advance.

Part of the training involves infiltration exercises where troops deploy drones. This aspect aims to improve the survivability of personnel by utilizing data collected from these unmanned systems.