South Korea and the United States will launch their annual joint military exercises, Ulchi Freedom Shield, on August 18, with a partial rescheduling of field training events aimed at managing extreme weather and easing tensions with North Korea, officials said on Wednesday.
The 11-day drills, which have long drawn sharp criticism from Pyongyang, will proceed on a similar scale to 2024, though 20 out of 40 scheduled field training exercises will be postponed to September, according to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff spokesperson Lee Sung-jun.
Lee explained that the adjustments were made due to multiple factors including the scorching summer heat and the need to maintain a balanced year-round defense posture. He emphasized that the decision was not politically motivated.
This year’s drills will simulate scenarios including a North Korean missile attack and focus on testing upgraded responses to growing nuclear threats from the North. They will also integrate modern warfare technologies inspired by lessons from conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, Lee added. However, the exercises will not include a response to a possible North Korean nuclear test.
The exercises come as South Korea’s new government under President Lee Jae Myung seeks to reduce tensions and reopen dialogue with Pyongyang. In a move seen as conciliatory, Seoul recently dismantled loudspeakers along the border that had been used to broadcast anti-North Korea propaganda.
A senior official from the Unification Ministry confirmed to Yonhap News Agency that the decision to delay part of the drills was aimed at creating space for diplomacy. But experts remain doubtful about the effectiveness of such gestures.
“North Korea won’t be satisfied with the adjustment at all,” said Cheong Seong-chang, vice president of the Sejong Institute. “What the regime wants is the termination of the drills with the U.S., not a slight rescheduling.”
So far, North Korea has dismissed Seoul’s attempts at engagement. Kim Yo Jong, the influential sister of leader Kim Jong Un, responded to the removal of the loudspeakers by saying it was “not the work worthy of appreciation,” according to state media outlet KCNA.
Despite the cautious scheduling and diplomatic overtones, tensions remain high, with Pyongyang continuing to resist outreach efforts and reiterating its opposition to joint U.S.-South Korea military activities.
Written By Rodney Mbua
