Annual South Korea–US joint military exercise underway

by Han Jun-gu Posted : March 10, 2026, 16:48Updated : March 10, 2026, 16:48
A UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter flies at Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek Gyeonggi Province as the ROK-US joint Freedom Shield FS exercise begins March 9 Yonhap
U.S. military helicopters sit at a base in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province on March 9, 2026. Yonhap
SEOUL, March 10 (AJP) - The annual joint military exercise between South Korean and U.S. troops has been underway since early this week.

The exercise, dubbed "Freedom Shield," which kicked off on Monday, aims to prepare for contingencies on the Korean Peninsula while assessing combat readiness to prepare for the transfer of wartime operational control from Washington to Seoul.

Approximately 18,000 troops are participating in this year's exercise, similar to last year's level, but the number of field training sessions has been reduced to around 22, less than half of last year's 51.
 
A Patriot missile system is deployed at Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek Gyeonggi Province a day before the ROK-US joint Freedom Shield FS exercise March 8 Yonhap
U.S. military assets get ready for a joint exercise at a base in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province on March 8, 2026. Yonhap
North Korea, which has hysterically reacted to these exercises, responded again as Kim Yo-jong, the country's unofficial mouthpiece as the sister of the country's leader Kim Jong-un threatened that it may "cause unimaginably terrible consequences."

The exercise runs until March 19.
 
Vehicles are parked at Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek Gyeonggi Province as the ROK-US joint Freedom Shield FS exercise begins March 9 Yonhap
U.S. military vehicles are parked at a military base in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province on March 9, 2026. Yonhap
Han Jun-gu 사진기자
Han Jun-gu

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