US, South Korea to Hold Military Drills With Focus on North Korean ‘Aggression’

US, South Korea to Hold Military Drills With Focus on North Korean ‘Aggression’
Col. Isaac Taylor of the U.N. Command (UNC), Combined Forces Command (CFC), and United States Forces Korea (USFK) and Col. Lee Sung-jun (R) of South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff attend the press briefing of 2023 Freedom Shield Exercise at the Defense Ministry in Seoul, South Korea, on March 3, 2023. Chung Sung-Jun/Pool via Reuters
Aldgra Fredly
Updated:

South Korea and the United States stated that they'll proceed with large-scale military exercises this month, while North Korea has threatened to respond with “unprecedented” counteractions.

The allies’ annual Freedom Shield drills, taking place from March 13 to March 23, aim to solidify their combined defense posture and combat readiness against any threats, according to the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK).

The 11 days of joint drills will include “live exercises with constructive simulations” focused on North Korea’s aggression and “lessons learned from current and ongoing conflicts,” USFK stated.

Participating units will include personnel from USFK, U.N. Command, subordinate commands under the U.S.-South Korea Combined Forces Command, and representatives of sending states.

“Freedom Shield is designed to strengthen defense and response capabilities of the Alliance by focusing within the exercise scenario on things such as the changing security environment, DPRK aggression, and lessons learned from recent wars and conflicts,” the allies stated, referring to North Korea by the initials of its official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

The drills will be held concurrently with field training exercises dubbed “Warrior Shield,” which aims to bolster their military cooperation through air, sea, land, space, cyber, and special operations.

“The ROK–U.S. alliance remains at a high level of readiness and continues to maintain a robust combined defense posture,” the USFK stated, using the acronym for South Korea’s official name, the Republic of Korea.

This year’s Freedom Shield will feature field exercises on a scale not seen since 2017, when then-President Donald Trump scaled back public drills with South Korea to facilitate diplomacy with North Korea.

Col. Isaac Taylor, a spokesman for the U.S. military, and Col. Lee Sung-jun (R), a spokesman at South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, attend the press briefing for the 2023 Freedom Shield exercise at the Defense Ministry in Seoul, South Korea, on March 3, 2023. (Chung Sung-Jun/Pool via Reuters)
Col. Isaac Taylor, a spokesman for the U.S. military, and Col. Lee Sung-jun (R), a spokesman at South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, attend the press briefing for the 2023 Freedom Shield exercise at the Defense Ministry in Seoul, South Korea, on March 3, 2023. Chung Sung-Jun/Pool via Reuters

The two allies also held a joint air drill on March 3, involving one American B-1B strategic bomber and South Korean F-15K and KF-16 fighters, to demonstrate the U.S. extended deterrence against North Korean threats.

Previous U.S.–South Korea joint military drills drew retaliatory steps from North Korea, including launching missiles and an intercontinental ballistic missile, some of which landed outside Japan’s exclusive economic zone.
Col. Lee Sung-jun, a spokesperson for South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the allies will respond “sternly based on the overwhelming capabilities of the alliance” if North Korea takes further provocative actions, Yonhap News Agency reported.

More North Korean Warnings

North Korea has long condemned U.S. joint drills on the Korean Peninsula as “rehearsals for an invasion” and stated that an increased presence of U.S. strategic assets in the region will push the security situation to an “extreme red line.”
North Korea’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson said last month that the United States and South Korea will face “unprecedented and strong counteractions” if they proceed with their planned joint drills.

“If it is the U.S. option to show its muscle and counter everything with muscle, the same is true of the DPRK’s option,” the official said, according to North Korea’s official mouthpiece.

North Korea conducted a series of missile launches last year, including one involving its largest intercontinental ballistic missile, the Hwasong-17, all of which are banned under U.N. Security Council resolutions on the North’s missile program.

The test-firing of a missile at Pyongyang International Airport in Pyongyang, North Korea, on Nov. 18, 2022, in a photo provided by the North Korean regime on Nov. 19, 2022. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)
The test-firing of a missile at Pyongyang International Airport in Pyongyang, North Korea, on Nov. 18, 2022, in a photo provided by the North Korean regime on Nov. 19, 2022. Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP
The United States, South Korea, and Japan have strongly condemned the North’s missile launches and urged Pyongyang to stop its provocative acts.

Inter-Korean Military Deal

Earlier this year, South Korea stated that it would consider terminating a 2018 inter-Korean military agreement after North Korea sent five drones across the Demarcation Line separating the two Koreas on Dec. 26, 2022.

The incursion prompted South Korea to deploy fighter jets and fire about 100 rounds at the drones, but none were shot down while they flew over South Korean cities for hours.

“President Yoon Suk-yeol instructed the National Security Office to consider suspending the Sept. 19 military agreement in the event North Korea carries out another provocation violating our territory,” press secretary Kim Eun-hye said.

The agreement was signed by former South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in 2018 to end military hostilities between their nations. Termination of the agreement could result in the resumption of live-fire drills along the demarcation line.

The United States says it’s concerned about North Korea’s disregard for the 2018 inter-Korea military agreement, citing North Korea’s series of drone and missile provocations against South Korea.

Reuters contributed to this report.
Aldgra Fredly
Aldgra Fredly
Author
Aldgra Fredly is a freelance writer covering U.S. and Asia Pacific news for The Epoch Times.
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