Overview

• On August 11, North Korean defense minister No Kwang-chol denounced the upcoming joint drills as a direct military provocation and vowed a thoroughgoing counteraction posture under the right to self-defense
• The Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise is slated for August 18–28, but Seoul and Washington have deferred roughly 20 of 40 field training events until September
• South Korea’s Unification Ministry and US Forces Korea emphasize that the annual drills are strictly defensive, intended to deter war and maintain readiness
• In reciprocal confidence-building moves, both Koreas have begun removing propaganda loudspeakers along the Demilitarized Zone
• Heightened rhetoric and military readiness underline regional stability risks even as President Lee Jae Myung’s administration pursues tension-management measures with Pyongyang