US, South Korea to Hold Major Joint Drills as North Korea Resumes Missile Tests

South Korea and the United States announced Monday that their annual joint military exercise, Ulchi Freedom Shield, will commence next week. The 11-day drill, set to begin Monday, will involve approximately 18,000 South Korean troops, a scale consistent with previous years.

South Korean military spokesperson Jang Do-young confirmed the details at a press briefing. U.S. military spokesperson Ryan Donald said the exercise will incorporate realistic threats and lessons from recent conflicts, emphasizing combined, joint, all-domain operations to strengthen alliance readiness.

Donald specifically referenced North Korea's deployment of troops to support Russia's war in Ukraine. "DPRK soldiers have been deployed and fought in Ukraine and they've taken those lessons they learned there and brought them back to North Korea," he said, using the abbreviation for North Korea's full name. "That changes the DPRK capability and our training accounts for that threat."

The Ulchi Freedom Shield is one of two major combined exercises held annually by the allies, alongside springtime training. The U.S. military described the exercise as featuring "live, virtual, constructive and field-based training."

North Korea has not yet commented on the upcoming drills. Historically, Pyongyang has condemned such exercises as rehearsals for invasion and has responded with weapons tests and harsh rhetoric. South Korean and U.S. officials maintain the drills are defensive.

The announcement comes days after South Korea, the U.S., and Japan detected a short-range ballistic missile launch from North Korea on Thursday — the North's first such test since late June. The missile landed in waters off North Korea's east coast. Both Seoul and Tokyo condemned the launch, noting it violates multiple U.N. Security Council resolutions banning North Korean ballistic activities.

North Korea has aggressively expanded its nuclear and missile programs since leader Kim Jong Un's diplomacy with former U.S. President Donald Trump collapsed in 2019. Analysts suggest Kim believes a larger arsenal will strengthen his negotiating position with Washington.

Concerns have also grown over North Korea's military support to Russia, with experts warning that Moscow may transfer sensitive technologies that could enhance the threat posed by Pyongyang's nuclear and missile programs. North Korea's troop deployment is also believed to have provided its military with valuable battlefield experience.