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CTV News
07-08-2025
- Politics
- CTV News
South Korea, U.S. militaries will stage large-scale drills this month to address North Korean threats
Col. Lee Sung-jun, left, public affairs director of South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff and Col. Ryan Donald, public affairs director of the United Nations Command (UNC), Combined Forces Command (CFC), and United States Forces Korea (USFK) attend a press briefing of Ulchi Freedom Shield 2025 exercise at the Defense Ministry in Seoul Thursday, Aug. 7, 2025. (Chung Sung-Jun/Pool Photo via AP)
The Star
07-08-2025
- Politics
- The Star
South Korea, US to conduct major joint military drills starting August 18
SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA - AUGUST 7: (L to R) Col. Lee Sung-jun, public affairs director of South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff and Col. Ryan Donald, public affairs director of the United Nations Command (UNC), Combined Forces Command (CFC), and United States Forces Korea (USFK) attend the press briefing of Ulchi Freedom Shield 2025 exercise at the Defense Ministry on August 07, 2025 in Seoul, South Korea. The 11-day Freedom Shield is part of an annual combined training with troops from South Korea and the United States. Chung Sung-Jun/Pool via REUTERS SEOUL (Reuters) -South Korea and the United States will conduct major joint military drills starting on August 18, their military officials said on Thursday, announcing an annual defensive exercise that has been a source of tension with North Korea. The 11-day annual exercise, called Ulchi Freedom Shield, will be adjusted this year by rescheduling 20 out of 40 training events to September, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff spokesperson Lee Sung-jun said at a briefing on Thursday. The decision to spread out the scheduling, included reasons such as extreme weather, he said, denying there were any political factors behind the move. 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 on a North Korean missile launch, but would not cover a potential nuclear test by Pyongyang, he said. (Reporting by Jack Kim and Heejin Kim; Editing by Himani Sarkar, Ed Davies)
The Independent
07-08-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
South Korea, US militaries will stage large-scale drills this month to address North Korean threats
South Korea and the United States will launch their annual large-scale military exercise this month to bolster readiness against North Korean threats, the allies said Thursday, in a move likely to irritate Pyongyang amid a prolonged stalemate in diplomacy. Ulchi Freedom Shield, the second of two large-scale exercises held annually in South Korea, following another set of drills in March, typically involves thousands of troops in computer-simulated command post training and combined field exercises. The Aug. 18-28 exercise may trigger an angry reaction from North Korea, which calls the joint drills invasion rehearsals and often uses them as a pretext to dial up military demonstrations and weapons tests aimed at advancing its nuclear program. Doubling down on its nuclear ambitions, North Korea has repeatedly rejected Washington and Seoul's calls to resume diplomacy aimed at winding down its weapons program, which derailed in 2019. The North has now made Russia the priority of its foreign policy, sending thousands of troops and large amounts of military equipment to support Moscow's war in Ukraine. About 18,000 South Korean troops will take part in this year's Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff spokesperson, Col. Lee Sung Joon, said during a joint briefing with U.S. Forces Korea, which did not disclose the number of participating U.S. troops. Both Col. Lee and U.S. Forces Korea public affairs director Col. Ryan Donald downplayed speculation that South Korea's new liberal government, led by President Lee Jae Myung, sought to downsize the exercise to create momentum for dialogue with Pyongyang, saying its scale is similar to previous years. However, Col. Lee said about half of the exercise's originally planned 40 field training programs were postponed to September due to heat concerns. The threat posed by North Korea's growing nuclear and missile programs will be a key focus of the exercise, which will also incorporate lessons from recent conflicts, including Russia's war in Ukraine and the clash between Israel and Iran, Col. Lee and Col. Donald said. The exercise will also address threats from drones, GPS jamming and cyberattacks, they said.
Associated Press
07-08-2025
- Politics
- Associated Press
South Korea, US militaries will stage large-scale drills this month to address North Korean threats
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea and the United States will launch their annual large-scale military exercise this month to bolster readiness against North Korean threats, the allies said Thursday, in a move likely to irritate Pyongyang amid a prolonged stalemate in diplomacy. Ulchi Freedom Shield, the second of two large-scale exercises held annually in South Korea, following another set of drills in March, typically involves thousands of troops in computer-simulated command post training and combined field exercises. The Aug. 18-28 exercise may trigger an angry reaction from North Korea, which calls the joint drills invasion rehearsals and often uses them as a pretext to dial up military demonstrations and weapons tests aimed at advancing its nuclear program. Doubling down on its nuclear ambitions, North Korea has repeatedly rejected Washington and Seoul's calls to resume diplomacy aimed at winding down its weapons program, which derailed in 2019. The North has now made Russia the priority of its foreign policy, sending thousands of troops and large amounts of military equipment to support Moscow's war in Ukraine. About 18,000 South Korean troops will take part in this year's Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff spokesperson, Col. Lee Sung Joon, said during a joint briefing with U.S. Forces Korea, which did not disclose the number of participating U.S. troops. Both Col. Lee and U.S. Forces Korea public affairs director Col. Ryan Donald downplayed speculation that South Korea's new liberal government, led by President Lee Jae Myung, sought to downsize the exercise to create momentum for dialogue with Pyongyang, saying its scale is similar to previous years. However, Col. Lee said about half of the exercise's originally planned 40 field training programs were postponed to September due to heat concerns. The threat posed by North Korea's growing nuclear and missile programs will be a key focus of the exercise, which will also incorporate lessons from recent conflicts, including Russia's war in Ukraine and the clash between Israel and Iran, Col. Lee and Col. Donald said. The exercise will also address threats from drones, GPS jamming and cyberattacks, they said.
Korea Herald
10-03-2025
- Politics
- Korea Herald
S. Korea, US begin key springtime military exercise
South Korea and the United States kicked off a major annual joint military exercise Monday to strengthen their combined defense capabilities against North Korean military threats. The allies began the Freedom Shield exercise, which runs through March 20, in the face of North Korea's continued weapons development and deepening military cooperation with Russia. This year's exercise marks their first major military exercise since US President Donald Trump took office in January, with the US military having reaffirmed its security commitment to South Korea. "The ironclad commitment to the ROK is as strong as ever. We are fully in Freedom Shield 2025. What we are doing right now is building our readiness, capabilities to defend the ROK against any threat," Col. Ryan Donald, spokesperson for the US Forces Korea, said in a press briefing last week. ROK refers to the acronym of South Korea's official name, the Republic of Korea. The 11-day drills feature computer-simulated drills and on-field training, aimed at strengthening interoperability between the allies. South Korea will deploy some 19,000 troops for the exercise, with the two sides planning to stage 16 large-scale on-field drills, up from 10 last year, according to the South's Joint Chiefs of Staff. But live-fire drills will not take place as part of this year's springtime drills, as the allies have agreed to pause such training until further notice after South Korean fighter jets mistakenly bombed a civilian village Thursday. Two KF-16 fighter jets "abnormally" dropped eight bombs outside a training range in Pocheon, some 40 kilometers north of Seoul, during live-fire drills last week. The accident left 15 civilians and 14 service members injured. North Korea has long denounced the allies' joint exercises as a rehearsal for an invasion against it and has a track record of staging weapons tests in response. The North has released back-to-back statements denouncing the joint drills, threatening that Seoul and Washington will pay a "horrible" price for their "dangerous provocative act." Freedom Shield is one of the allies' two major annual exercises that train troops based on an all-out war scenario. The other exercise -- Ulchi Freedom Shield -- usually takes place in August. (Yonhap)
