Loud and clear: South Korean protesters holding a rally under a flag (top) that reads ‘Stop War Rehearsal’, to oppose the Ulchi Freedom Shield joint military exercise between the United States and South Korea, in front of the presidential office in Seoul. — AFP
The United States and South Korea kicked off their major annual joint military drills, Seoul said, with new exercises aimed at containing the nuclear-armed North, including fighting cyberattacks.
The Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise runs until Aug 29, with drills this year set to “reflect realistic threats across all domains”, including from North Korean missiles and GPS jamming, Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said yesterday.
The exercises will boost the allies’ “capability and posture to deter and defend against weapons of mass destruction”, the military added.
This year’s drills will involve about 19,000 South Korean troops participating by land, sea and air, as well as in the cyber and space domains, according to the defence ministry, which declined to offer details of the US’ participation.
Pyongyang has floated thousands of trash-carrying balloons across the border in recent months, and sought to jam South Korean GPS signals as part of its protest against balloons carrying anti-regime propaganda sent northwards by activists in the South.
In Seoul, the city government will be simultaneously conducting civil defence exercises designed to better prepare for any future trash balloons, as well as North Korean drone attacks.
“We are currently facing the most reckless and irrational North Korean provocations and threats in the world,” South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol said at a Cabinet meeting yesterday, according to his office.
“In recent years, they have not hesitated to launch GPS jamming attacks and make low-grade provocations such as launching trash balloons.”
US-South Korea drills typically infuriate the North, which views them as rehearsals for invasion and has frequently conducted weapons tests in retaliation.
On Sunday, North Korean state media slammed the drills, saying they were “dangerous and grave”. — AFP
