Washington and Seoul launch their largest joint military exercises in five years

Tension is high around the Korean Peninsula. South Korea and the United States on Monday kicked off their biggest joint military exercises in five years, despite threats from North Korea.

Washington and Seoul have stepped up their defense cooperation in the face of growing military and nuclear threats from Pyongyang, which has increased weapons tests in recent months. The Allies announced that the “Freedom Shield” maneuvers between the US and South Korean forces, which will last at least ten days, will focus on the “changing security environment” due to the doubling of North Korea’s aggressiveness.

Fake strikes on North Korea

Rarely the South Korean military revealed in early March that special forces from Washington and Seoul would stage “Teak Knife” military exercises – which consist of simulating precision strikes on key facilities in North Korea – ahead of Freedom Shield.

All of these exercises infuriate Pyongyang, which considers them general exercises to invade its territory or overthrow its regime, while justifying its nuclear and ballistic weapons programs by the need to defend itself. To show its displeasure, North Korea also fired two cruise missiles from a submarine on Sunday, North Korean news agency KCNA announced.

Washington has repeatedly affirmed its “unwavering” commitment to defending South Korea using “the full range of its military capabilities, including nuclear capabilities” and recently sought to reassure Seoul of its expanded deterrent capacity for its allies. Non-nuclear South Korea remains formally committed to non-proliferation, even as domestic calls for the country to acquire its own nuclear weapons grow.