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The Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises, set to run from Aug. 19 to
29, come as North Korea continues to develop its nuclear and
missile programs and tries to launch reconnaissance satellites.
The drills will reflect "realistic threats" across all domains,
including the North's missile threats but also GPS jamming,
cyberattacks and other lessons learned from recent incidents,
the two countries' militaries said in a statement.
The alliance "will further strengthen its capability and posture
to deter and defend against weapons of mass destruction,"
Colonel Lee Sung-jun, spokesperson for South Korea's Joint
Chiefs of Staff, told a briefing.
Lee said the South Korean military would also support the
simultaneous government-led Ulchi civil defense drills, one set
in the scenario of a nuclear attack by the North.
About 19,000 South Korean troops, similar to last year, will
take part in 48 rounds of combined field training, including
field maneuver, live fire and amphibious exercises, he said.
Colonel Ryan Donald, spokesperson of U.S Forces Korea, said the
annual exercises were among the largest exercises in the
Indo-Pacific region, and will be joined by member states of the
United Nations Command.
Pyongyang has long denounced the allies for stoking tensions
with military drills, calling them rehearsals for a nuclear war.
Seoul and Washington say the exercises are defensive and a
response to the North's threats.
(Reporting by Hyonhee Shin; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)
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