South Korea, Japan and US set joint drills despite Trump cuts
South Korea said on Friday it would hold joint military exercises with the United States and Japan in September, after Washington scaled back annual drills with Seoul in an apparent bid to encourage dialogue with North Korea. The three countries would conduct the North Korea-focused Freedom Edge exercise from September 7 to 11 in international waters east and south of South Korea’s Jeju Island,…
South Korea announced on Friday that it will conduct joint military drills with the United States and Japan in September, despite Washington reducing annual exercises with Seoul in an effort to foster talks with North Korea. The North Korea-themed Freedom Edge exercise will take place from September 7 to 11 in international waters east and south of South Korea's Jeju Island, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS).
The JCS stated that the defensive drill, conducted annually by the three nations, aims to counter North Korea's nuclear and missile threats and maintain regional peace and stability.
The multi-domain exercise is set to encompass maritime missile defense, air and air-defense drills, anti-submarine warfare, and cyber defense, as reported by Seoul's Yonhap news agency. Freedom Edge was first held in June 2024 following an agreement among the leaders of the three countries at their Camp David summit in 2023. A spokeswoman for the United States Pacific Command emphasized that the premier multi-domain exercise will continue to uphold shared values, improve interoperability, and strengthen defense partnerships to ensure peace and stability throughout the Pacific.
The announcement follows US President Donald Trump's directive to cut the countries' annual Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises from 11 days to five in the current month. Trump claimed the drills were "very insulting" to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, who he described as "very well behaved," as Washington endeavors to rejuvenate dialogue with Pyongyang.
South Korea reported on Monday that the United States had also canceled another joint exercise, the biennial Ssangyong drills, due to force availability constraints stemming from the conflict with Iran. Despite Trump's overtures, North Korea has demonstrated limited willingness to reciprocate, launching missiles and condemning the downsized drills, along with the United States' endorsement of arms sales to South Korea and plans to fund programs documenting human rights abuses in the North.
Written by urgent.news from South China Morning Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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