North Korea might stage provocations during the annual Freedom Shield combined military exercise between South Korea and the United States, Seoul’s defense minister said, Monday.
“There are chances for North Korea to stage various provocations on the occasion of (the allies’) combined training and major elections in South Korea and the U.S., in order to set up a strategic environment advantageous to the regime,” Defense Minister Shin Won-sik said during a forum in Seoul.
Shin was referring to the Freedom Shield exercise which kicked off on the same day for an 11-day run. It is a computer-simulated, defense-oriented command post exercise event, but the allies have also been conducting various types of field drills during the period.
During this year’s Freedom Shield, the allies will conduct 48 rounds of on-field drills, which is more than double those of last year’s edition. Also, training for tracking and intercepting North Korean cruise missiles is included in this year’s program, given that Pyongyang has already launched cruise missiles five times this year. It remains uncertain whether the U.S. will deploy strategic assets such as bombers or nuclear submarines during the period.
Members of the South Korea-U.S. Combined Air Component Command participate in the Freedom Shield exercise at the Korea Air and Space Operations Center at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, Monday. Courtesy of ROK Air Force
The North detests the Freedom Shield exercise, claiming it is “practice for war against the North.”
When the allies held the exercise last year, the North said “the U.S. and South Korea are explicitly showcasing their attempt at military dominance on the Korean Peninsula, and North Korea will respond to it, if the U.S. chooses to show its force.”
The possibilities of North Korea’s provocations during the Freedom Shield period are higher this year, because the two Koreas have virtually scrapped their 2018 Comprehensive Military Agreement aimed at completely ceasing all hostile acts against each other, including military trainings targeting each other in border areas.
During his speech, Shin stated that he and his U.S. counterpart, Lloyd Austin, reaffirmed the rock-solid alliance between Seoul and Washington in a phone call last week.
“South Korea and the U.S. are striving for peace through strength based on a robust combined defense posture,” Shin said. “Through the Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG) between the two countries, the allies will complete comprehensive extended deterrence by the first half of this year.”
During the second NCG between Seoul and Washington in December, the two countries agreed to conduct exercises based on a scenario of a nuclear attack by the North. This will not be included in the ongoing Freedom Shield training, but likely to be included in the Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise in August.
