S. Korea, Japan to hold joint relief drill in East Sea: navy

By Sam Kim
SEOUL, June 30 (Yonhap) -- The navies of South Korea and Japan will hold a joint
biennial relief exercise in the East Sea, starting this week, the Navy said
Tuesday.
The Search and Rescue Exercise, or SAREX, will take place in the waters between
the South Korean islets of Dokdo and Japan's Oki Islands from July 2-10, the
South Korean Navy said in a release.
The two sides will each deploy destroyers, helicopters and aircraft to conduct
the exercise, which first began in 1999 as part of efforts to expand military
ties between the two nations, it said.
Japanese ships will dock at a South Korean naval port on the east coast following
the exercise for their crews to attend ceremonies designed to promote the
relations between the two navies, it added.
samkim@yna.co.kr
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