South Korea and the United States will commence annual military exercises from March 4-14, said South Korean officials on Wednesday. The military drills, named "Freedom Shield," will focus on preventing North Korea from using nuclear weapons, amid increasing threats.
Officials from the U.S. and South Korean militaries said that the exercises will be "rigorous and realistic", reflecting recent conflict scenarios.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff spokesperson Colonel Lee Sung-jun says that the exercises will include 48 rounds of joint field training, including air assault and airstrikes, with the combined forces of both countries doubled compared to last year. The main purpose of these exercises is to eliminate North Korea's nuclear threat, including "identifying and attacking" cruise missiles. Lee says that South Korea and the U.S. are jointly developing a set of countermeasures against North Korea's nuclear and missile threats.
U.S. Forces Korea spokesperson Colonel Isaac Taylor says that the U.S. might deploy its strategic assets on the Korean Peninsula as it has done in the past, but did not provide details, citing security agreements.