Seoul, Aug 18 (AP) – South Korea and the United States commenced their annual large-scale joint military exercises, Ulchi Freedom Shield, on Monday. These drills are intended to bolster their defenses against threats posed by nuclear-armed North Korea, which has issued warnings that the exercises will exacerbate regional tensions and pledged to respond to “any provocation” against its territory..
The 11-day Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise is the second of two such large-scale exercises conducted annually in South Korea, with the first set taking place in March. This round involves 21,000 soldiers, including 18,000 South Koreans, engaging in computer-simulated command post operations and field training..
Though described as defensive by the allies, the drills could provoke North Korea, which consistently portrays them as invasion rehearsals. The North often uses these events as a pretext for military demonstrations and weapons tests that advance its nuclear agenda.
Last week, North Korean Defence Minister No Kwang Chol criticized the exercises, viewing them as a sign of the allies' “military confrontation” stance, and declared that North Korean forces are prepared to counteract “any provocation going beyond the boundary line.” Ulchi Freedom Shield coincides with South Korea's new liberal President Lee Jae Myung's preparations for an important August 25 summit with US President Donald Trump in Washington.
President Trump has unsettled Seoul with concerns over potentially disrupting the longstanding alliance by demanding increased financial contributions from South Korea for the American troop presence there and possibly reducing troop numbers as the US shifts focus more towards China.
Tensions on the Korean Peninsula remain elevated, as North Korea continues to dismiss President Lee’s attempts to restart diplomacy amid strained relations between the two Koreas. Relations have deteriorated in recent years as North Korean leader Kim Jong Un accelerated his weapons program and fortified ties with Moscow following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
South Korea’s previous conservative administration reacted to North Korean threats by expanding military exercises with the United States and seeking stronger US assurances regarding nuclear deterrence. This elicited an angry reaction from Kim Jong Un, who renounced long-term reconciliation goals and amended North Korea’s constitution to label South Korea as a permanent enemy.
In his latest outreach to Pyongyang, President Lee, who assumed office in June, signaled a desire to reinstate a 2018 inter-Korean military agreement aimed at reducing border tensions, urging North Korea to engage with the South’s efforts to rebuild trust and renew dialogue.
The 2018 military agreement, forged during a brief diplomatic thaw between former South Korean President Moon Jae-in and Kim Jong Un, established buffer zones on land and sea, as well as no-fly zones above the border to avoid hostilities. However, in 2024, South Korea suspended the agreement, citing increased tensions from North Korea's launching of trash-filled balloons toward the South, prompting a return to frontline military activities and propaganda efforts.
Regarding whether President Lee’s moves to revive the agreement might impact the allies’ military exercises, South Korea’s Defense Ministry stated on Monday that there are currently no plans to suspend live-fire drills near the Koreas' disputed maritime boundary.
The allies have postponed half of Ulchi Freedom Shield’s originally planned 44 field training programs to September. However, US military officials dismissed South Korean media speculation that the downsized drills were intended to accommodate diplomacy with the North, attributing changes instead to temperature concerns and flood damage to some training sites.
Since his first term, President Trump has consistently urged South Korea to increase its financial contributions for the 28,500 American troops stationed there. Recent remarks from senior Trump administration officials, including Undersecretary of Defense Elbridge Colby, suggest a possible overhaul of the alliance, which some experts argue could redefine the size and role of US forces in South Korea.
Under this potential new arrangement, South Korea may assume greater responsibility in countering North Korean threats, while US forces focus increasingly on China. This could potentially leave South Korea facing reduced benefits but increased costs and risks.
During a recent press engagement, Gen. Xavier Brunson, commander of US Forces Korea, underlined the necessity of “modernizing” the alliance to address the changing security landscape, which includes North Korea’s nuclear ambitions, its closer ties with Russia, and perceived Chinese threats to a “free and open Indo-Pacific.” (AP) GRS GRS.
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