South Korea and the United States will begin their annual joint military drills, Ulchi Freedom Shield, on August 18, South Korean military officials confirmed on Thursday. However, in a rare move aimed at reducing tensions with North Korea, around half of the field training exercises will be postponed to September.
According to Lee Sung-jun, spokesperson for South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, the 11-day drills will proceed on a similar scale to 2024’s operations but will see 20 out of 40 field training events rescheduled. The shift was attributed to multiple factors including extreme summer heat and the need to maintain balanced defence readiness year-round.
“This year’s exercise will focus on responding to growing North Korean nuclear threats and incorporate lessons from modern warfare technologies used in recent conflicts like Ukraine and the Middle East,” Lee said. The drills will simulate scenarios such as a North Korean missile launch, though they will stop short of addressing the possibility of a nuclear test.
Despite official denials of any political motivations behind the decision, a senior official at South Korea’s Unification Ministry told Yonhap News Agency that the rescheduling was also intended to ease military tensions with Pyongyang and create room for potential dialogue.
President Lee Jae Myung’s administration has expressed interest in improving inter-Korean relations and reviving long-stalled negotiations. In another conciliatory gesture, South Korea on Monday removed border loudspeakers that had been broadcasting anti-North Korean propaganda—a move that Pyongyang has previously protested.
However, initial reactions from North Korea have been dismissive. Kim Yo Jong, the influential sister of leader Kim Jong Un, reportedly said that halting the broadcasts was “not the work worthy of appreciation,” according to state media outlet KCNA.
Experts remain doubtful that the rescheduling of the drills will produce meaningful diplomatic progress. “North Korea won’t be satisfied with the adjustment at all,” said Cheong Seong-chang, vice president at Seoul’s Sejong Institute. “What the regime wants is the termination of the drills with the US, not a slight rescheduling.”
The joint exercises, long seen by Pyongyang as a rehearsal for invasion, have historically triggered strong backlash and threats from North Korea. Whether this year’s toned-down schedule will mark a turning point remains to be seen.
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