South Korea, US initiate major military drill after termination of 2018 Inter-Korean accord
(MENAFN) On Monday, South Korea and the US commenced one of their significant military exercises, marking the first such activity since the termination of the 2018 inter-Korean military agreement by the divided Koreas in November of last year.
The annual 11-day military exercise, known as Freedom Shield, aims to “reinforce deterrence against North Korea's nuclear and missile threats amid concern Pyongyang could use the maneuvers as a pretext for provocations,” as reported by a news outlet based in Seoul.
It is going to concentrate on “multi-domain operations by utilizing land, sea, air, cyber and space assets, and countering the North's nuclear operations” as both militaries declared that the drill was “aimed at improving” their joint defense position.
Last November, Pyongyang completely annulled the 2018-signed military agreement with Seoul, which was initially designed to alleviate border tensions.
This move by the North came in response to the South's partial termination of the pact.
As a result, the two sides now intend to conduct 48 military exercises, more than double the number held last year.
Pyongyang has consistently criticized the joint military drills conducted by the US and South Korea, condemning them as "rehearsals for an invasion against it."
In the ongoing year, Pyongyang has launched multiple missiles, and in the preceding year, the North Korean capital sent a spy satellite into space.
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