The Republic of Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) announced that South Korea and the United States will conduct their annual joint military exercise, Ulchi Freedom Shield 25 (UFS25), from August 18 to 28. According to the announcement, the US-South Korea drills are designed to bolster the alliance’s combined defense readiness in light of evolving security threats.

According to the JCS, the exercise scenario has been developed based on a detailed analysis of recent global conflicts to ensure realistic training. The drills will cover all domains of combined and joint operations, simulating near-real combat conditions.

The JCS emphasized that UFS25 remains a defensive military exercise intended to enhance preparedness, not provoke conflict. It will involve both military and civilian components, including participation from key South Korean ministries and agencies. The interagency training component aims to improve crisis response coordination, civilian protection, and defense against cyber threats.

"UFS25 is an annual defensive exercise. The scenario includes realistic threats identified through the analysis of recent conflicts," the JCS stated.

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To ease tensions on the Korean Peninsula, about 20 of the 40 scheduled field training exercises will be postponed until September, the Ministry of Unification confirmed. However, exercises directly related to the command post simulation and those involving US military assets will proceed as planned.

"The goal is to reduce tensions and ensure peace. This is the goal of both the Ministry of Unification and the Lee Jae-myung government, and of the entire Republic of Korea. We hope the exercises will also contribute to de-escalation on the Korean Peninsula," the ministry stated.

DPRK, China condemn joint US-South Korea drills as being provocative

The joint military drills have long drawn criticism from the DPRK, which routinely denounces them as rehearsals for an invasion. 

In May of this year, the DPRK dubbed the joint US-South Korea drills involving US B-1B and F-16 bombers as well as South Korean F-35A and F-16 fighter jets as a show of force and "grave provocation" that raises regional tensions to "an extreme [and] dangerous level."

China has also made clear the dangers that these drills impose on the Asian Pacific region, with the ministry's spokesperson Wang Wenbin stating previously, "We are gravely concerned over the moves of the US and the ROK in their military exercises." 

"The current situation on the Korean Peninsula is highly complex and sensitive. All parties concerned should remain restrained and do more things that are conducive to peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula, not otherwise," Wang continued.