S Korea, US, Japan to hold joint naval exercise

South Korea, the United States and Japan will hold a joint naval exercise next week involving mock search and rescue operations and maritime interdiction drills, Seoul's defense ministry said Thursday. The exercise will be held off South Korea's southern resort island of Jeju next Thursday and Friday, and will mobilize destroyers, logistics support ships and antisubmarine helicopters, the ministry said. The three countries have staged joint naval drills since 2008. The ministry also jointly announced with the Pentagon a plan to hold a separate joint naval exercise between the two countries in the Yellow Sea on June 23-25, according to South Korea's (Yonhap) news agency. The annual drill will involve antisubmarine drills against a North Korean invasion by sea, surface ship maneuvers and submarine detection exercises. The US aircraft carrier USS George Washington is expected to take part in the drills, the ministry said.