The US and South Korean soldiers together taken part in a joint live-fire drill, tagged the Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS), at the training ground, 32km from the border separating the two Korean countries.
The drill is said to be the biggest combined military between the two countries in years, after a failed attempt during the Donald Trump-led administration.
The military drills were retaliation and a show of force in response to North Korea’s hostile attitude towards the South. The exercise was engaged with over 20,000 troops from both armies of the US and South Korea.
According ta o report from a source on the importance of the exercise, “it’s said that the joint exercise is set to rebuild the US-South Korea alliance and also to solidify the combined defence posture by engaging in combined military exercises and field training.
The military cooperation is also seen as an effort to curb Kim Jong-un’s ambition of growing their nuclear arsenal against the US’s wish.
Col Brandon Anderson, the decision’s deputy commander for maneuver, giving an update about the military drills said, the drills are not aimed at any countries, but that it’s an avenue to solidify the US-ROK alliance, and to equip her allies well against any external aggression.
Alluding to the threat posed by North Korea which had consistently continued to test missiles along the border of Korea, the South sees the imperative to forge themselves hard against their harsh neighbor.
The US under the leadership of President Joe Biden has affirmed its support for South Korea against the North, even to the extent of deploying strategic assets which might include tactical nuclear weapons should the North decides to test nuclear.
North Korea has condemned the drills, tagging them as a preparation for the invasion of their country, which if not halted quickly, might lead to deadly retaliation from their side.
The drills are said to come to an end on the 1st of September.