Joint exercise with US to be scaled down, with field training postponed

A helicopter moves at Camp Humphreys for the annual Ulchi Freedom Shield UFS exercise in Pyeongtaek Gyeonggi Province in this file photo taken on Aug 19 2024 Yonhap — Helicopters stand ready for a joint military exercise at Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province , in this file photo from August 2024. Yonhap

SEOUL, August 8 (AJP) - South Korea will conduct its annual joint defense exercise with the U.S. later this month, with half of some key field drills postponed until September due to this summer's unprecedented heat wave.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) here said Thursday that the exercise, dubbed Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS), will kick off its 10-day run on Aug. 18, involving some 18,000 South Korean troops and a similar number of U.S. personnel.

The exercise consists of computer-simulated drills along with field training to strengthen the two allies' combined defense posture against North Korean threats and other security challenges.

However, the first such exercise since President Lee Jae-myung took office in early June is likely to be scaled down, as roughly 20 out of 40 field drills will be postponed until September.

The JCS cited sweltering heat as the reason for the postponement, but some speculate it may also be part of the Lee administration's recent conciliatory gestures toward North Korea, such as the halt of loudspeaker broadcasts along the border.

The JCS' press announcement about the upcoming exercise also omitted any mention of North Korean threats, as an apparent appeasement not to provoke the North, which has long condemned the drills as "war games."

Im Yoon-seo lyseo0330@ajupress.com