South Korea and the United States announced on Monday (10th) that their militaries will begin their annual joint military exercise next week to enhance readiness against the threats posed by North Korea. Just days ago, North Korea violated relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions by launching a short-range ballistic missile into the eastern waters of the Korean Peninsula.
The two countries will conduct a large-scale joint military exercise named “Ulchi Freedom Shield” (UFS) from August 17 to 27, incorporating drills to counter unmanned aerial vehicle attacks, global positioning system (GPS) interference, and cyber attacks to adapt to North Korea’s evolving military capabilities.
During a press briefing held at the Ministry of National Defense in Seoul on Monday, Ryan Donald, Public Affairs Officer for the U.S. Forces Korea and the ROK-U.S. Combined Forces Command, stated that by incorporating lessons learned from recent conflicts and other real-world threats, this exercise will further strengthen the alliance’s readiness through joint, integrated operational exercises.
He mentioned examples of North Korea deploying troops to support its involvement in the war in Ukraine in recent years. “North Korean soldiers were deployed to fight in Ukraine, and they brought back the experiences they gained there to North Korea. This has changed North Korea’s capabilities, and our training takes into account this kind of threat,” Donald said.
This is one of the two major joint exercises conducted annually by U.S. and South Korean forces, with the other exercise held in the spring. The South Korean military stated that the scale of this joint exercise is similar to previous years, with approximately 18,000 South Korean troops participating. The U.S. military noted that the “Ulchi Freedom Shield” exercise will include live-fire training, virtual and computer-simulated exercises, and field training.
Last Thursday, South Korea, the United States, and Japan detected North Korea launching a short-range ballistic missile into the eastern waters near Wonsan. This was North Korea’s first ballistic missile test since late June this year. The missile landed in the waters off the east coast of North Korea.
South Korea and Japan condemned this test as a provocative and threatening act, emphasizing that multiple UN Security Council resolutions prohibit North Korea from engaging in any activities involving the use of ballistic missile technology. The U.S. Indo-Pacific Command stated in a release that the U.S. will continue to be committed to defending its homeland and its regional allies.