South Korea and the United States on Monday began the largest joint military exercise in recent years, it was officially announced in Seoul.
In parallel with Operation Ulcsi Freedom Shield, which runs until September 1, South Korea is also conducting separate four-day civil defense exercises. The goal of the military and civilian exercises is to enhance and prepare the country’s defense capability to change ways of warfare, including fending off cyber threats.
Peacekeeping on the Korean Peninsula is built on our tight security architecture.” – South Korean President Jeon Guk Sol announced at a government meeting.
In the past, North Korea regularly denounced the joint exercises between South Korea and America and claimed that the two countries were preparing for an invasion against the communist dictatorship. The last joint military exercise of a similar size was held in 2017, after which the scale of operations was scaled back due to the coronavirus epidemic, and in addition, Jun’s predecessor, former President Moon Jae-in, took a more conciliatory tone. With Pyongyang, because he wanted to resume the stalled negotiations. On the other hand, John wants to strengthen deterrence and make joint large-scale exercises regular again.
The two countries began preparations for the exercise last week, to which North Korea responded by firing two ballistic missiles. According to Seoul officials, Pyongyang is also preparing for another nuclear test, now its seventh. John promised to provide economic aid to North Korea if Pyongyang gets rid of its nuclear weapons, but the dictatorship rejected the proposal.
