South Korea and the U.S. will hold their major annual Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS) exercise from August 18 to 28, involving about 18,000 South Korean troops and focused on realistic, multi-domain threats to boost readiness.
Due to the current heat wave and other conditions, about half of the 40 planned field training exercises will be rescheduled to next month (September). However, training involving deployed U.S. assets or tied to the main scenario will proceed as planned.
North Korea, which regularly criticizes these drills as invasion rehearsals, remains a central factor. South Korea, aiming to ease tensions with the North, may delay some exercises further, pending leadership approval.
The allies emphasized the defensive nature of the drills, which will include scenarios such as responding to nuclear threats, drone activity, and GPS jamming. Troops from several U.N. Command member states will participate, and the Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission will monitor compliance with the Korean War Armistice Agreement.
https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20250807002453315?section=national/defense
