South Korean and the U.S. are trying to track North Korean submarines that disappeared from their bases, remaining vigilant of North Korea’s potential to use them as part of a provocation.
 
According to Seoul military officials Monday, the South Korean Navy has augmented the deployment of anti-submarine-sonar-equipped Aegis destroyers and patrol corvettes in the East and West Seas.
 
The South Korean Navy is also operating P3C anti-submarine maritime surveillance aircraft around the clock to search for the North Korean submarines.
 
The U.S. Navy’s P-8 Poseidon, one of the U.S. military’s most advanced surveillance aircrafts, is also known to have been mobilized to detect the North Korean vessels.
 
Explaining that shark-class and salmon-class submarines can stay underwater for only several days, the South Korean military expects it will soon be able to detect at least some of the missing watercraft. 
 
The one-thousand-800 tons Romeo-class vessels, however, are able to stay underwater for up to 15 days, making them more difficult to detect. 
 
A Seoul military official added that the search operation may be affected by Typhoon Goni, which is expected to pass near the East Sea on Tuesday.
 
According to the South Korean military Sunday, 50 North Korean submarines and submersibles had left their bases since Friday, the day Pyongyang offered to hold inter-Korean talks.