The US and South Korea began a large-scale military exercise called Ulchi Freedom Shield on Monday to strengthen defense capabilities against a nuclear-armed North Korea.
This is reported by ABSNews and Kyodo News.
The training will take place from August 11 to 29. The military of Washington and Seoul will conduct field exercises, and computer simulations of military games will take place. Allied forces will prepare for threats from North Korea, including missiles, GPS jamming and cyber attacks. They will also study the experience of recent armed conflicts.
In parallel, civil defense and evacuation exercises will continue, which will include programs based on scenarios of a North Korean nuclear attack.
This yearʼs drills began hours after North Koreaʼs Foreign Ministry said the actions were "provocative war drills for aggression." There they said that they consider their nuclear ambitions justified.
The US and South Korea noted that in recent years, they have been constantly expanding and improving their training to counter threats from South Korea, so this yearʼs military exercises are justified. 19 000 North Korean soldiers will take part in them, the US does not declassify the number of soldiers.
North Korea may respond to military exercises — the country is building up the number of military weapons and has previously threatened nuclear conflicts against the United States and South Korea.
South Korea and the USA annually conduct military exercises. In 2022, they were preparing for new missile tests by North Korea.
What is happening between North Korea and South Korea
Since 1910, the entire Korean peninsula had been part of the Japanese Empire, but in 1945, the US dropped two nuclear bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, when Japan surrendered and World War II ended. The Korean peninsula was divided into two parts: American troops occupied the southern part, and Soviet troops occupied the northern part. In 1945, the southern part announced the establishment of the Republic of Korea. In 1948, the communist Democratic Peopleʼs Republic of Korea appeared in the northern part.
The leader of the newly formed North Korea was Kim Il Sung, who, hoping to unite the Koreas, built up an army and started the Korean War in 1950. Already in July 1953, the USA and the DPRK signed an armistice, but since then the formal end of the war has not yet been announced. North Korea wants the US to withdraw troops from South Korea and lift sanctions, while the US wants North Korea to get rid of its nuclear weapons.
On January 1, 2024, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un informed that North Korea no longer seeks reconciliation and reunification with South Korea. At the same time, he threatened to "completely destroy" the USA and South Korea if they resort to "provocations". Later, Kim Jong Un declared the need for changes in the DPRK Constitution to define South Korea as a "main enemy country". North Korea has shelled the Southʼs border, regularly conducts nuclear weapons tests, launches missiles and spy satellites.
On February 8, North Korea declared the termination of all agreements with South Korea, which were related to the promotion of economic cooperation between the countries.
In June, another dispute broke out between the North and the South. North Korea "attacked" South Korea with hundreds of debris bullets. In response, the South threatened to install loudspeaker systems on the border that would broadcast propaganda to the North.
- In August, South Korean President Yoon Seok Yeol proposed the creation of a working consultative body with North Korea to discuss ways to ease tensions and restore economic cooperation between the countries.
Author: Iryna Perepechko