US AND SOUTH KOREA LAUNCH MAJOR MILITARY DRILL AMID RISING TENSIONS WITH NORTH KOREA

Mon 19 August 2024:

The United States and South Korea commenced a significant joint military exercise on Monday, with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol emphasizing the need to bolster defense preparedness against North Korea’s evolving “gray zone provocations and hybrid warfare.”

11-Day Ulchi Freedom Shield Exercise Aims to Counter North Korean Threats

The 11-day Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS) exercise, an annual event, is designed to enhance the joint defense capabilities of the two allies in response to advancing North Korean military threats. The drill, which runs until August 29, comes amid heightened tensions between South and North Korea.

According to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), the exercise includes a computer simulation-based command post exercise, concurrent field training, and civil defense drills. The drill has seen an increased participation of approximately 19,000 South Korean troops, with 48 field training events, including amphibious landing and live-fire drills, compared to 38 such events last year. The number of brigade-level exercises has also risen to 17 this year, up from four the previous year.

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Focus on Multi-Domain Defense and Crisis Response

The JCS stated that the exercise aims to strengthen the allies’ capability to respond to any provocations and defend against North Korea’s weapons of mass destruction. The drill involves multi-domain exercises utilizing assets across land, sea, air, cyber, and space.

For the first time, the government-led Ulchi civil defense drill will include a scenario simulating a “North Korean nuclear attack,” according to an unnamed source cited by Yonhap News.

During a Cabinet meeting, President Yoon emphasized that the joint drill will integrate the allies’ capabilities under various crisis scenarios to deter North Korea’s evolving military threats, psychological warfare, and cyberattacks. He highlighted the need to strengthen readiness against North Korea’s “gray zone provocations,” including the spread of misinformation, fake news, and cyberattacks. Yoon also warned that Pyongyang might attempt to create social instability through violence, propaganda, and agitation in the early stages of a conflict.

Pyongyang has consistently condemned the allies’ joint exercises, labeling them as rehearsals for an invasion. However, Washington and Seoul have dismissed these accusations, maintaining that their drills are purely defensive in nature.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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