U.S.–South Korea Launch Ulchi Freedom Shield as Lee Seeks Inter-Korean Thaw

South Korea and the United States on Monday began the Ulchi Freedom Shield, an 11-day joint exercise designed to sharpen their response to North Korea’s nuclear, missile, drone and cyber capabilities. The drills involve about 21,000 personnel, including 18,000 South Korean troops, and combine computer-simulated command-post training with large-scale field manoeuvres. While the overall scope matches last year’s, Seoul has pushed roughly half of the 40 planned outdoor manoeuvres into September. Military officials cited extreme heat and force-readiness needs, but the move also aligns with President Lee Jae-myung’s effort to ease tensions with Pyongyang. It is the first time the long-running exercise has been held under Lee, who took office in June. North Korea, which routinely labels the drills a rehearsal for invasion, reiterated warnings of a forceful response. Defence Minister No Kwang Chol on 10 August threatened to exercise the North’s ‘self-defence’ right against any perceived provocation, and Kim Yo Jong subsequently dismissed the schedule changes as meaningless. Even as the exercise got under way, Lee instructed his cabinet to prepare a step-by-step revival of existing inter-Korean agreements, including a 2018 pact aimed at reducing military activity along the Demilitarised Zone. The directive underscores the administration’s two-track strategy of maintaining deterrence with the United States while seeking avenues to restart dialogue with the North.