(2nd LD) S. Korea, U.S., Japan to conduct Freedom Edge joint drills in early Sept.

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea, the U.S. and Japan will go ahead with a trilateral military drill next month to better defend against North Korean nuclear threats, officials in Seoul announced Friday. This comes a day after North Korea threatened retaliation for what it deemed U.S. hostilities.

The first annual Freedom Edge exercise is set to begin on September 7 for five days off South Korea’s southern Jeju Island. The military drill is defensive in nature, aimed at responding to North Korean nuclear and missile threats, while also promoting regional peace and stability.

However, North Korea has previously denounced the trilateral exercise as a "reckless show of strength" that signals the adversaries' confrontational stance against it. Pyongyang has also claimed the drill implies U.S. intentions to encircle China and pressure Russia.

The Freedom Edge drill, initiated in 2024, combines air and naval exercises to enhance joint ballistic missile defense, anti-submarine warfare, surveillance, and other capabilities. In recent weeks, the U.S. and South Korean militaries concluded their annual Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise six days earlier than planned, following President Donald Trump’s order to "substantially reduce" the drill.

Trump attributed this decision to a "good relationship" with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, but North Korea dismissed this move, stating it did not alter the provocative and aggressive nature of its actions.

In response to the U.S.-South Korean drill, North Korea launched around 10 short-range ballistic missiles towards the sea, apparently executing its earlier vow to retaliate against U.S. hostilities. North Korea has consistently stated it will not resume diplomacy with the U.S. unless it drops its demand for denuclearization as a prerequisite for talks.

Since Trump’s diplomatic efforts with North Korea ended in 2019, Kim Jong Un has bolstered his military and diplomatic standing by expanding his nuclear arsenal and forming an alliance with Russia amid its conflict in Ukraine. With increased leverage, experts believe Kim may pursue significant concessions from the U.S., such as acknowledging North Korea as a nuclear state and extensive sanctions relief, in exchange for partially disarming his nuclear arsenal.