Evacuation practice planned for Americans in Korea

The U.S. Forces Korea plan to hold an exercise for the evacuation of noncombatant U.S. citizens from South Korea in June, military sources said Sunday.

The regular Courageous Channel practices operations for a safe exit of the 230,000 Americans in case of a conflict. The drill is led by the 19th Expeditionary Sustainment Command in Daegu, 302 kilometers southeast of Seoul.

Tensions have mounted over North Korea's threat of nuclear and missile tests, and the U.S. dispatch of powerful military assets to South Korea.

The last Courageous Channel was held from Oct. 31-Nov. 3, 2016, following the North's fifth nuclear test in September.

The drill was by far the most realistic, with participants flown outside of the peninsula for the first time since 2009, according to the command.

Yonhap