South Korea and the United States began annual military exercises on Monday, seeking to boost their combined defense capabilities against nuclear-armed North Korea, which accused the allies of practicing to invade it.
The Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises, which will last until Aug. 29, come as North Korea races to advance its nuclear and missile programs and seeks to launch reconnaissance satellites, while boosting its military cooperation with Russia.
The drills will include both computer-simulated war games and more than 40 types of field exercises, including live-fire drills, according to the South’s Joint Chiefs of Staff.
They will also focus on enhancing readiness against various North Korean threats, including missiles, GPS jamming and cyberattack, it added.
About 19,000 South Korean military personnel will participate in the drills, which will be held concurrently with civil defense and evacuation drills from Monday through Thursday that will include programs based on North Korean nuclear attack scenarios.
The U.S. military has not confirmed the number of its troops taking part. There are about 28,500 U.S. military personnel in South Korea.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol urged a thorough readiness posture against North Korea, calling it “the most reckless and irrational country” in the world.
“Through this exercise, we must build up our readiness and capabilities to respond strongly to any North Korean provocations,” Yoon told a cabinet meeting, noting the North’s recent progress in its nuclear and missile programs, as well as its continued propaganda and incitement against South Korea, including sending balloons carrying trash over the border.
“As the United States and South Korea have safeguarded peace on the Korean Peninsula through an ironclad joint defense posture and a strong deterrent force against North Korea, this exercise will allow us to examine our defense posture in various ways and demonstrate the strength of our alliance,” he added.
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The exercise began hours after North Korea’s foreign ministry issued a statement repeating the North’s contention that such exercises are provocative war drills for aggression.
It said North Korea’s nuclear ambitions were thus justified, adding that it was crucial to “constantly maintain the balance of power for preventing a war by stockpiling the greatest deterrence.”
South Korea and the U.S. did not immediately comment on the North Korean statement but described their joint drills as defensive in nature adding that they have been expanding and upgrading their training in recent years to cope with the North’s evolving threats.
During last year’s exercises, Pyongyang conducted ballistic missile tests that it described as simulating scorched earth nuclear strikes on South Korean targets.
Edited by RFA Staff.