South Korea, US to stage annual joint drill with scaled-down field training

SEOUL, February 25 (AJP) - South Korean and U.S. troops will stage their annual joint military exercise next month to strengthen their combined defense posture, the Joint Chiefs of Staff here said on Wednesday.

The exercise, dubbed Freedom Shield (FS), is scheduled to be held from March 9 to 19 under a scenario simulating a full-scale war to prepare for contingencies on the Korean Peninsula.

The exercise aims to strengthen combined combat readiness while preparing for the transfer of wartime operational control from Washington to Seoul.

"About 18,000 troops will take part in this year's exercise, similar to the levels seen last year," a JCS official said.

But some field drills are likely to be scaled down, as the two allies are still in talks over their scope and size, amid Seoul's apparent efforts to avoid provoking North Korea under President Lee Jae myung's conciliatory stance toward Pyongyang as well as growing expectations for the resumption of talks between the U.S and North Korea, which could coincide with U.S. President Donald Trump's visit to China in late March.

North Korea, which has condemned the drills as rehearsals for an invasion, is expected to pretest again.