The United States and South Korea announced on Sunday that their annual Ulchi Freedom Shield joint military exercises will run from Aug. 17 to 27, involving approximately 18,000 South Korean troops in a force size consistent with previous years.
This year's drills will place greater emphasis on countering drone warfare, GPS signal jamming, and cyberattacks, reflecting what planners described as the evolving character of modern conflict. The adjustments come as North Korean troops have gained battlefield experience in Ukraine, where President Volodymyr Zelensky said Sunday that 30,000 to 50,000 North Koreans are being deployed to Russian territory. Pyongyang also fired a short-range ballistic missile toward the sea last week.
The 11-day exercise is a regular summer fixture for allied forces. In prior drills, outdoor maneuver training was scaled back significantly, with some sessions postponed due to extreme heat.