SEOUL: South Korea and the United States will conduct major joint military drills starting on Aug 18, although they will delay parts of the annual exercises that have been a source of tension with North Korea to later in the year.
The 11-day annual exercises, called Ulchi Freedom Shield, will be on a similar scale to 2024 but adjusted by rescheduling 20 out of 40 field training events to September, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff spokesperson Lee Sung-jun said.
The allies agreed to reschedule some parts of the drill to next month over factors “including ensuring training conditions during extreme heat and maintaining a balanced combined defence posture year-round,” Lee said at a briefing.
This year’s drill will test upgraded response to heightened North Korean nuclear threats as well as cutting-edge technologies used in modern wars, Lee said, citing conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East.
The exercise will include a scenario of a North Korean missile launch, but will not cover a potential nuclear test by Pyongyang, he said. The decision to spread out the scheduling included reasons such as extreme weather, Lee said, denying there were any political factors behind the move.
The drills are due to be staged as the new South Korean government of President Lee Jae Myung seeks to improve strained ties with Pyongyang and revive stalled dialogue with its neighbour.
A senior official from South Korea’s Unification Ministry, which manages relations between the Koreas, said on Thursday that the delay in some training exercises was aimed at easing tensions with North Korea, the Yonhap News Agency reported.
