South Korea and US to begin annual Ulchi Freedom Shield drill next week

South Korea and the United States are set to begin their annual Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise next Monday, running for 11 days, according to military officials. The scale of the exercise will be similar to previous years, with about 18,000 South Korean soldiers participating, as announced by South Korean military spokesperson Jang Do-young during a press briefing.

At the same news conference, US military spokesperson Ryan Donald said the exercise will incorporate realistic threats, including "lessons from recent conflicts," and will serve as an opportunity to further strengthen the alliance's readiness and capabilities through combined, joint, all-domain operations. The upcoming summertime drill is one of the two main combined exercises conducted annually by the South Korean and US militaries, alongside their springtime training.

The US military described the Ulchi Freedom Shield as featuring "live, virtual, constructive and field-based training." North Korea had no immediate comments on the upcoming exercise. However, Pyongyang has consistently described major US-South Korean military drills as rehearsals for an invasion of North Korea and has responded with provocative weapons tests and fiery rhetoric. In contrast, South Korean and US officials have maintained that their joint exercises are defensive in nature.

On Thursday, South Korea, the US, and Japan detected the launch of a short-range ballistic missile from North Korea, marking the North's first ballistic weapons testing activity since late June. The missile landed in the waters off North Korea's east coast.

According to a report by Mehr News Agency, citing the Associated Press, these developments come amid heightened tensions on the Korean Peninsula. The report added that the upcoming exercise is expected to proceed as planned despite North Korea's objections.