Joint Military Drills Between US and South Korea Begin in Response to North Korean Threats

August 19, 2024 TruthUSA

North Korea criticized the U.S.-South Korea joint drills as ‘the most offensive and provocative war drills for aggression in the world.’

South Korea and the United States began a large-scale joint military exercise on Monday to enhance their combined defense posture against North Korean threats.

The annual Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise, running until Aug. 29, will include computer-simulated exercises and field training, including live-fire drills, according to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS).

The drills will simulate “realistic threats across all domains,” such as North Korea’s missile threats, GPS jamming, cyberattacks, and lessons learned from recent armed conflicts, as mentioned by the JCS.

The two countries aim to improve their armed forces’ capabilities and readiness to deter and defend against weapons of mass destruction, as stated by the JCS in a statement.

About 19,000 South Korean troops will participate in the drills, which will include 48 rounds of combined field training, as reported by Yonhap News Agency. The number of participating U.S. troops has not been specified.

In a statement from the Institute for American Studies of the North Korean Foreign Ministry carried by the state-run Korean Central News Agency, the joint drills were condemned as “the most offensive and provocative war drills for aggression in the world.”

The United States and South Korea were accused by the institute of “escalating regional military confrontation” and North Korea vowed to change the security environment of the Korean Peninsula and the region in its favor.

Despite explanations from both allied nations that the joint drills are for defense, North Korea has consistently criticized them as a rehearsal for invasion.

Last month, North Korea launched two ballistic missiles—one of which South Korea said may have failed—after the United States, South Korea, and Japan completed their first multi-domain trilateral exercise.

That trilateral drill was launched after North Korea and Russia signed a “strategic partnership” pact that allows each party to provide military assistance if either one of them is attacked. The United States, South Korea, and Japan expressed “grave concern” over the defense pact.

Pyongyang also sent trash-filled balloons toward South Korea in recent months, prompting Seoul to suspend a 2018 military deal that was originally meant to ease tensions between the two countries.

North Korea has carried out more than 100 weapons tests in recent years, involving various missile systems capable of striking the United States and its Asian allies.

On July 11, the United States and South Korea signed nuclear deterrence guidelines, affirming Washington’s commitment to use the “full range of U.S. capabilities,” including nuclear, to defend its ally.

The United States continues to seek “direct talks” with North Korea without preconditions in pursuit of a diplomatic solution for denuclearization, but North Korea has rejected these efforts.

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