US and South Korean troops began a large-scale military exercise on Monday aimed at enhancing their joint defense capabilities against the nuclear threat posed by North Korea, The Associated Press reports.
The annual drills, known as Ulchi Freedom Shield, takes place amid escalating tensions on the Korean Peninsula, with North Korea once again accusing the allies of preparing for an invasion.
The drills come in the wake of increasing North Korean weapons demonstrations and intensified military activities by the US and South Korea, leading to a cycle of provocations on both sides. Hours before the exercises began, North Korea’s Foreign Ministry issued a statement condemning the joint drills as “provocative war drills for aggression.”
The statement reaffirmed the North’s justification for its nuclear ambitions, emphasizing the need to “constantly maintain the balance of power for preventing a war by stockpiling the greatest deterrence.”
The US and South Korea characterize their joint drills as defensive and have expanded their training in recent years in response to North Korea’s evolving threats. The Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises will span 11 days, concluding on August 29, and will include both computer-simulated war games and over 40 field exercises, including live-fire drills. This year’s program aims to bolster readiness against a spectrum of threats from North Korea, including missile attacks, GPS jamming, and cyber warfare, integrating lessons from recent armed conflicts.
Some 19,000 South Korean military personnel will partake in the drills, which will run concurrently with civil defense and evacuation exercises focused on scenarios involving North Korean nuclear attacks. The US has not disclosed the number of American troops involved or confirmed the participation of strategic assets in the exercises.
Recently, the US has ramped up its regional deployments of long-range bombers, submarines, and aircraft carrier strike groups to train alongside South Korean and Japanese forces.
Earlier this month, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un presided over a ceremony in Pyongyang to celebrate the delivery of 250 nuclear-capable missile launchers to frontline units, calling for a continuous expansion of the country’s nuclear arsenal.
Analysts suggest that Kim might escalate tensions as a strategy in a US election year, aiming to force Washington to recognize North Korea as a nuclear power and to negotiate from a position of strength for economic and security concessions. During last year’s Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises, North Korea conducted ballistic missile tests, labeling them as simulations of “scorched earth” nuclear strikes on South Korean targets.
In recent weeks, North Korea has also engaged in psychological warfare by sending thousands of balloons containing trash into South Korea, further straining relations between the two nations.
