The United States and South Korea have launched the Ulchi Freedom Shield, their largest summer military exercise, aimed at improving their forces' preparedness to counter threats from North Korea.
The exercises began on Monday and will run until August 29, according to Ukrinform and Yonhap.
These drills come at a time of growing concern in Seoul and Washington about North Korea's continued weapons development.
Since the start of this year, North Korea has conducted 37 missile tests.
South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) stated that this year’s exercises are based on a full-scale war scenario.
The drills include computer-based command training, field exercises, and civil defense unit training.
While the number of South Korean troops involved remains around 19,000, there will be more field activities this year—48 in total—such as amphibious landings and live-fire exercises, compared to 38 last year. The number of brigade-level exercises has also increased from four in 2023 to 17 this year.
The goal of these joint exercises is to strengthen the allies' ability to respond to any provocations from North Korea and to defend against weapons of mass destruction. The drills will involve various forces and assets, including land, sea, air, cyber, and space operations.
This year’s civil defense training will also include, for the first time, a scenario simulating a nuclear attack by North Korea, though the military will not rehearse this specific scenario.
North Korea has traditionally criticized these joint exercises, calling them provocative and accusing the allies of preparing for aggression.
Both Washington and Seoul insist that the drills are purely defensive.
The Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises come shortly after a summit at Camp David, where the leaders of the United States, South Korea, and Japan agreed to strengthen their security cooperation in response to regional threats.
