South Korea Postpones Key U.S. Joint military Exercises
(MENAFN) South Korea will postpone nearly half of its planned joint military drills with the United States, officials announced Thursday, amid rising tensions and vocal condemnation from North Korea.
The annual Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS) exercise is set to proceed between August 18 and 28, but around 20 of the 40 scheduled training events will now be deferred to September, according to media.
The delay reflects the administration of President Lee Jae-Myung’s ongoing efforts to ease inter-Korean friction and encourage renewed cooperation with Pyongyang.
“The iteration of the UFS '25 will be executed on a similar scale to the previous iteration,” said army spokesman Col. Lee Sung-jun during a press briefing. He confirmed that approximately 18,000 South Korean troops will still participate in this month’s drills. However, he added, “the military has made the decision to reschedule certain training events to next month.”
This year’s exercises come as North Korea intensifies its criticism of the allied maneuvers, accusing Seoul of “blindly adhering” to its defense ties with Washington.
Earlier, Unification Minister Chung Dong-young indicated he would recommend to President Lee that parts of the drill be adjusted or delayed, aligning with the government’s broader push for de-escalation.
Over 28,500 US troops are currently stationed in South Korea under a long-standing mutual defense agreement. The Korean Peninsula remains technically at war, as the 1950s conflict ended in an armistice, not a peace treaty.
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