US Holds Military Drills With South Korea, Japan as North Korean Troops Begin Training With Russian Forces

The military drills are part of a trilateral exercise known as ‘Freedom Edge.’

A U.S. Air Force B-1B bomber (top) flies in formation with U.S. Air Force F-16 fighter jets over the South Korea Peninsula during a joint air drill in South Korea on Feb. 19, 2023. South Korea Defense Ministry via AP

The United States and Japan will take part in a three-day joint military exercise with South Korea from Nov. 13, military officials announced, shortly after North Korea launched an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) and allegedly ratified a major defense pact with Russia.

Known as “Freedom Edge,” the joint exercise will feature South Korean and Japanese fighter jets and maritime patrol aircraft, as well as the USS George Washington, USS Higgins, USS McCampbell, USS Dewey, and F-35, F-18, P-8, and KC-135 aircraft, according to a Nov. 12 statement from the U.S. Indo–Pacific Command (USPACOM).