Overview

• The 11-day Ulchi Freedom Shield began Aug. 18 on a scale comparable to last year, mobilizing about 21,000 troops, including roughly 18,000 South Koreans, for defensive command-post and field training.
• Roughly half of the approximately 40 planned field drills were shifted to September, with U.S. and South Korean officials citing extreme heat and flood damage and denying that diplomacy drove the change.
• A parallel four-day nationwide civil defense program involves about 580,000 participants, featuring an anti-air raid drill and training against drones and cyberattacks.
• President Lee Jae Myung directed phased steps to revive the 2018 inter-Korean tension-reduction pact, while the unification minister proposed restoring military communications and cautioned that dialogue may take more time.
• North Korea condemned the exercise as a will to “ignite a war” as Kim Jong Un inspected the 5,000-ton Choe Hyon destroyer, called for rapid expansion of nuclear forces, and touted plans for a third ship by October next year.