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Seoul – The United States and South Korea are gearing up for their annual joint military exercise, Ulchi Freedom Shield, scheduled for August 18-28. This year’s exercise will focus on countering North Korea’s evolving threats and incorporating lessons learned from recent global conflicts.
The exercise will involve a range of activities, including live field maneuvers, simulated command post exercises, and civil defense drills. While the scale will be similar to last year, some field training events have been pushed to September due to the recent heatwave and logistical considerations, according to South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff spokesman Col.
Lee Sung-jun. Around 18,000 South Korean troops will participate, with the U.S. declining to specify its troop numbers.
Col. Lee emphasized that the rescheduling of some training events was not politically motivated and that any exercises linked to the core scenario, or involving U.S. deployments to the Korean Peninsula, will proceed as planned.
U.S. Forces Korea spokesman Col.
Ryan Donald highlighted the exercise’s focus on North Korea’s weapons programs and other threats. He stated that the training will incorporate lessons from the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, as well as the growing military cooperation between Russia and North Korea.
The exercise will also address threats such as terrorism, drones, GPS jamming, and cyberattacks, and will include a simulated North Korean missile launch scenario but will not cover a nuclear attack.
While South Korea seeks to improve relations with Pyongyang, North Korea routinely criticizes these joint exercises as preparations for invasion. Last week, Kim Yo Jong, sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, denounced South Korea’s alliance with the U.S. and rejected Seoul’s attempts at reconciliation.
Both the U.S. and South Korea maintain that the exercise is purely defensive. Personnel from other United Nations Command member countries will also participate, with the Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission observing to ensure compliance with the Korean Armistice Agreement.