South Korea and the United States will begin a major combined military exercise next week to strengthen their joint defense readiness in the face of evolving North Korean military threats, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said Monday.
The annual Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS) exercise based on an all-out war scenario is set to take place from Aug. 19-29, featuring the main computer simulation-based command post exercise, concurrent field training and civil defense drills.
During the exercise period, the government-led Ulchi civil defense drill will involve a scenario simulating a North Korean nuclear attack for the first time, a source said, while the joint military exercise will not incorporate such a scenario.
The allies’ exercise comes amid growing concerns over Pyongyang’s continued weapons development push, highlighted by its launches of 37 ballistic missiles this year alone, and heightened cross-border tensions from the North’s recent trash-balloon campaign.
https://m-en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20240812002652315?section=national/defense
