United States and South Korea 'Ulchi Freedom Shield' military exercises could elicit an angry response from North Korea, which has pushed its weapons testing activity to a record pace this year
In this March 25, 2015, file photo, US Army soldiers from the 25th Infantry Division's 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team and South Korean soldiers take position during a demonstration of a live-fire exercise at the annual joint military exercise Foal Eagle between South Korea and the United States in Pocheon, South Korea.
Washington is Seoul's key security ally and stations about 28,500 troops in South Korea. The two countries have long carried out, which they insist are purely defensive but North Korea sees them as a rehearsal for invasion. "The significance of this joint exercise is rebuilding the South Korea-US alliance and solidifying the combined defence posture by normalising... combined exercises and field training," the defence ministry said on Monday.The summertime exercises, renamed Ulchi Freedom Shield this year and scheduled to end on September 1, came after South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, who took office in May, vowed to "normalise" the combined exercises and boost deterrence against the North.
North Korea has conducted missile tests at an unprecedented pace this year and is ready to conduct its seventh nuclear test at any time, Seoul officials said.denuclearisationSeoul's defence ministry has said the allies would stage 11 field training programmes, including one at brigade-level –– involving thousands of soldiers –– this summer.
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