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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)
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Number of people injured after fighter jets accidentally drop bombs rises to 29, South Korea says
SEOUL, South Korea — The number of people injured when South Korean fighter jets accidentally dropped bombs on a civilian area has increased to 29 from 15, the National Defense Ministry said Friday. Those injured include 15 civilians and 14 military personnel, the ministry said. Seven civilians and two soldiers remain hospitalized, including two civilians classified as seriously injured, while 20 other people have been treated and discharged, it said. The accident occurred Thursday during military training in Pocheon, a northeastern city of about 140,000 people near the heavily fortified border with North Korea. U.S. and South Korean forces were conducting a live-fire drill in preparation for Freedom Shield, an annual U.S.-South Korea joint military exercise that is set to get underway Monday. A total of eight 500-pound MK-82 bombs were 'abnormally released' by two South Korean air force KF-16s, landing outside the designated firing range. While the Freedom Shield exercise is going ahead as planned, Col. Ryan Donald, spokesperson for U.S. Forces Korea (USFK), said Friday that the U.S. and South Korean militaries had agreed to pause all live-fire training until further notice. USFK said earlier that no U.S. Air Force aircraft participated in the exercise. South Korea, a U.S. treaty ally, hosts almost 30,000 U.S. service members. The Freedom Shield exercise, which runs for 10 days from March 10, is designed to strengthen the alliance's combined defense posture in the face of growing threats from nuclear-armed North Korea. North Korea criticized the Freedom Shield exercise Friday, saying it would worsen the situation on the Korean Peninsula and violate its "sovereignty, security and interests.' 'If the U.S. continues to renew its record of military muscle-flexing, we will have no option but to renew our record of displaying strategic deterrent,' the state-run KCNA news agency said in a commentary. Stella Kim reported from Seoul, and Julia Zhong reported from Hong Kong. This article was originally published on
NBC News
07-03-2025
- General
- NBC News
Fighter jet misfire casualty number rises to 29, South Korea says
SEOUL, South Korea — The number of people injured when South Korean fighter jets accidentally dropped bombs on a civilian area has increased to 29 from 15, the country's Ministry of National Defense said Friday. The casualties include 15 civilians and 14 military personnel, the ministry said. Seven civilians and two soldiers remain hospitalized, including two civilians classified as seriously injured, while 20 other people have been treated and discharged, the ministry said. The accident occurred on Thursday during military training in Pocheon, a northeastern city of about 140,000 people near the heavily fortified border with North Korea. U.S. and South Korean forces were conducting a live-fire drill in preparation for Freedom Shield, an annual U.S.-South Korea joint military exercise that is set to get underway Monday. A total of eight 500-pound MK-82 bombs were 'abnormally released' by two South Korean air force KF-16s, landing outside the designated firing range. While the Freedom Shield exercise is going ahead as planned, Col. Ryan Donald, spokesperson for U.S. Forces Korea (USFK), said Friday that the U.S. and South Korean militaries had agreed to pause all live-fire training until further notice. USFK said earlier that no U.S. Air Force aircraft participated in the exercise. South Korea, a U.S. treaty ally, hosts almost 30,000 U.S. service members. The Freedom Shield exercise, which runs from March 10 to 20, is designed to strengthen the alliance's combined defense posture in the face of growing threats from nuclear-armed North Korea. North Korea criticized the Freedom Shield exercise on Friday, saying it would worsen the situation on the Korean Peninsula and violate its "sovereignty, security and interests.'
Korea Herald
07-03-2025
- Politics
- Korea Herald
North Korea warns US and South Korea will 'pay dearly' for joint military exercise
North Korea condemned an upcoming US-South Korea joint military exercise Friday, saying that "counteraction is inevitable" and warning that the allies would "pay dearly." The threat came one day after the United States and South Korea announced that their annual springtime Freedom Shield exercise would run from Monday through March 20, involving computer-simulated drills and on-field training. Freedom Shield will reflect "realistic threats, lessons learned from recent armed conflicts and evolving challenges, including the DPRK's military strategy, tactics and capabilities, as well as its growing partnership with Russia," US Forces Korea spokesman Col. Ryan Donald said at a press briefing. The Democratic People's Republic of Korea is the official name of North Korea. While Washington and Seoul say their joint military drills are defensive in nature, Pyongyang regularly condemns them as rehearsals for an invasion. Friday's unsigned commentary by state-run Korean Central News Agency said the upcoming exercise would be held "under the simulated conditions of an all-out war against the DPRK." No matter how frequently the enemy states describe the said large-scale war rehearsal targeting a sovereign state as 'annual' and 'defensive' one, they can never cover up its habitual, offensive and confrontational nature," the KCNA commentary said. The statement also highlighted the recent visit of the nuclear-powered USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier to the southeastern port of Busan and a large-scale live-fire drill held Thursday by US and South Korean forces near the DMZ. There was no mention of the accidental bombing of a residential area in the city of Pocheon by two South Korean KF-16 fighter jets during the drill, however. South Korea's Ministry of Defense on Friday announced that the injury toll from the accident had risen to 29, including 15 civilians and 14 soldiers. The ministry has suspended all live-fire drills until the exact cause of the accident is determined but said that Freedom Shield will continue as planned. Freedom Shield will "soon bring a storm of aggravated situation to the Korean Peninsula," the KCNA commentary said. "Counteraction is inevitable," the statement said. "We have already made it clear that if the US continues to renew its record of military muscle-flexing, we will have no option but to renew our record of displaying strategic deterrent." The enemy states will have to pay dearly for their stupid and reckless war drills," it added. South Korea's Unification Ministry, which oversees relations between the two Koreas, on Friday dismissed the North's claims that the joint drills were the cause of rising tensions on the Peninsula. "Whenever there is a joint South Korea-US military exercise, North Korea shifts responsibility for heightened tensions and repeats unreasonable claims that threaten us instead," ministry spokesman Koo Byung-sam said at a press briefing. "Our training is a defensive exercise to protect freedom, as the name Freedom Shield suggests." (UPI)
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
North Korea warns U.S. and South Korea will ‘pay dearly' for joint military exercise
SEOUL, March 7 (UPI) -- North Korea condemned an upcoming U.S.-South Korea joint military exercise Friday, saying that "counteraction is inevitable" and warning that the allies would "pay dearly." The threat came one day after the United States and South Korea announced that their annual springtime Freedom Shield exercise would run from Monday through March 20, involving computer-simulated drills and on-field training. Freedom Shield will reflect "realistic threats, lessons learned from recent armed conflicts and evolving challenges, including the DPRK's military strategy, tactics and capabilities, as well as its growing partnership with Russia," U.S. Forces Korea spokesman Col. Ryan Donald said at a press briefing. The Democratic People's Republic of Korea is the official name of North Korea. While Washington and Seoul say their joint military drills are defensive in nature, Pyongyang regularly condemns them as rehearsals for an invasion. Friday's unsigned commentary by state-run Korean Central News Agency said the upcoming exercise would be held "under the simulated conditions of an all-out war against the DPRK." "No matter how frequently the enemy states describe the said large-scale war rehearsal targeting a sovereign state as 'annual' and 'defensive' one, they can never cover up its habitual, offensive and confrontational nature," the KCNA commentary said. The statement also highlighted the recent visit of the nuclear-powered USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier to the southeastern port of Busan and a large-scale live-fire drill held Thursday by U.S. and South Korean forces near the DMZ. There was no mention of the accidental bombing of a residential area in the city of Pocheon by two South Korean KF-16 fighter jets during the drill, however. South Korea's Ministry of Defense on Friday announced that the injury toll from the accident had risen to 29, including 15 civilians and 14 soldiers. The ministry has suspended all live-fire drills until the exact cause of the accident is determined but said that Freedom Shield will continue as planned. Freedom Shield will "soon bring a storm of aggravated situation to the Korean Peninsula," the KCNA commentary said. "Counteraction is inevitable," the statement said. "We have already made it clear that if the U.S. continues to renew its record of military muscle-flexing, we will have no option but to renew our record of displaying strategic deterrent." "The enemy states will have to pay dearly for their stupid and reckless war drills," it added. South Korea's Unification Ministry, which oversees relations between the two Koreas, on Friday dismissed the North's claims that the joint drills were the cause of rising tensions on the Peninsula. "Whenever there is a joint South Korea-U.S. military exercise, North Korea shifts responsibility for heightened tensions and repeats unreasonable claims that threaten us instead," ministry spokesman Koo Byung-sam said at a press briefing. "Our training is a defensive exercise to protect freedom, as the name Freedom Shield suggests."
