South Korea and the United States are set to launch their annual joint military exercises next week, aiming to bolster their combined capabilities to counter and defend against escalating North Korean nuclear threats. The exercises, known as Ulchi Freedom Shield, are scheduled to run from August 19 to 29. These drills are expected to provoke a strong response from North Korea, which views them as preparation for a potential attack. Historically, the regime has used the military cooperation between South Korea and the US as justification for expanding its nuclear and missile programs.
This year’s exercise will feature a mix of computer-simulated drills, designed to enhance readiness against threats such as missiles, GPS jamming, and cyberattacks, alongside concurrent field maneuvers and live-fire exercises. The allies are specifically targeting “further strengthening (their) capability and posture to deter and defend against weapons of mass destruction,” according to military officials in a joint news conference. Lee Sung Joon, spokesperson of South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, stated that approximately 19,000 South Korean troops will participate in the drills, describing them as an “essential element for maintaining a strong defense posture to protect the Republic of Korea.”
Col. Ryan Donald, spokesperson of U.S Forces Korea, refrained from commenting on the number of U.S. troops involved in the exercises and said he couldn’t immediately confirm whether the drills will include U.S. strategic assets. The United States has recently increased its regional deployment of long-range bombers, submarines, and aircraft carrier strike groups to train alongside South Korean and Japanese assets in a demonstration of force against North Korea.
“This exercise will reflect realistic threats across all domains such as the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s missile threats and we will take in lessons learned from recent armed conflicts,” Donald said, referring to North Korea by its formal name. “ROK and U.S. units will execute combined field training exercises across all domains. Field maneuver and live fire exercises will strengthen the alliance’s interoperability while showcasing our combined capabilities and resolve,” he added.
In addition to the military exercises with the United States, the South Korean military will support the country’s civil defense and evacuation drills from August 19-22, which will include programs based on North Korean nuclear attack scenarios, Lee stated. Tensions on the Korean Peninsula are high as North Korean leader Kim Jong Un continues to exploit Russia’s war on Ukraine as an opportunity to accelerate weapons development, issuing verbal threats of nuclear conflict towards Washington and Seoul.
In response, South Korea, the United States, and Japan have been expanding their combined military exercises and sharpening their nuclear deterrence strategies built around U.S. strategic assets. During last year’s Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises, North Korea conducted ballistic missile tests, which it described as simulating “scorched earth” nuclear strikes on South Korean targets. In recent weeks, the North has also launched thousands of balloons carrying trash toward the South in a bizarre psychological warfare campaign that has further strained relations between the war-divided rivals. Trash from at least one of those balloons landed on the South Korean presidential compound last month, raising concerns about the vulnerability of key South Korean facilities. The balloon did not contain any dangerous material, and no one was injured.
