Joint U.S.-South Korean military drills are set to be held this month, fueling already high tensions with North Korea, which has stepped up munitions production in response.
A press release from the U.S. Navy Department confirmed that the 11-day exercise known as Ulchi Freedom Shield would start on August 21.
“The rigorous training will ensure the Alliance is ready to defend the Republic of Korea and promote security and stability in Northeast Asia,” the press release reads.
The same day the press release was published, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un toured munitions factories and pushed for heightened production. He reportedly said it was urgent for North Korea to bolster its artillery forces and boost the output of rocket launcher shells, according to state-run North Korean news agency KCNA.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, the United States and South Korea conducted joint military exercises in March at Camp Humphreys, around 40 miles south of Seoul.
The exercises prompted the ire of Kim Jong Un, who stepped up missile testing and notably launched a ballistic missile in a virtual nuclear counterattack simulation. He also tested a nuclearized underwater drone that he claimed was capable of generating a massive “radioactive tsunami.”
At the time, Kim Jong Un suggested that the ongoing joint military exercises were a rehearsal for an invasion and accused both the United States and South Korea of planning to wage war against North Korea, according to KCNA.
Annual joint military exercises between the United States and South Korea were scaled down during former President Donald Trump’s administration.
Still, tensions on the Korean Peninsula have continued to rise, with North Korea ramping up its missile testing since last year and expanding its nuclear program.
The United States is bracing for more saber-rattling from North Korea during this month’s joint military operations, which will include approximately 30 field training exercises.
“The combined military training and exercises are vital to maintaining a robust combined defense posture for the security of the Republic of Korea in case of contingencies in response to mounting military threat posed by North Korea,” explained Col. Lee Sung-jun, a spokesperson for South Korea’s joint chiefs of staff, according to The Korea Herald.
