Overview

• The Freedom Edge air and naval exercise began off South Korea’s Jeju Island and runs through Friday, with the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command calling it the most advanced trilateral demonstration to date.
• South Korea’s Defense Ministry says the drills aim to bolster joint capabilities across sea, air and cyber to counter North Korea’s growing missile and nuclear threats.
• Kim Yo Jong warned the U.S., South Korea and Japan of “bad results,” while senior official Pak Jong Chon threatened clearer and stronger countermeasures if the drills continue.
• The U.S. and South Korea are also holding the Iron Mace tabletop on Conventional-Nuclear Integration, reported to be running this week at Camp Humphreys, though the militaries did not confirm details.
• North Korea’s mission to the U.N. said the country’s status as a nuclear weapons state is irreversible and dismissed any role for the IAEA, even as allies describe their drills as defensive; no North Korean weapons tests were reported in this coverage.