Joint military exercises planned for September between the United States, South Korea and Japan, announces Seoul
South Korea, the United States and Japan will hold joint military exercises from September 7 to 11, the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) announced on Friday, August 28. These maneuvers called “Freedom Edge” will take place in international waters to the east and south of the South Korean island of Jeju.
“This annual defensive exercise is carried out jointly (…) in order to respond to North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats and to preserve peace and stability in the region”the JCS said in a statement. It must cover air defense, submarine warfare and cyber defense and also aim to prepare for ballistic missile launches, according to the news agency Yonhap.
“Freedom Edge” was first organized in June 2024 following an agreement reached by the leaders of the three countries during their historic summit at the presidential residence Camp David the previous year.
“This premier multi-domain exercise will continue to reinforce our shared values, improve our interoperability and further solidify our defense partnerships to ensure peace and stability across the Pacific”said Lieutenant Commander Chloe Morgan, spokesperson for the US Pacific Command (Pacom), on Wednesday, according to Yonhap.
Attempts at rapprochement
The announcement comes after joint drills between the South Korean and US armies ended on August 21, after US President Donald Trump abruptly ordered the annual drills to be cut short. The Republican had described these exercises as “very insulting” for the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, affirming that the latter had “very well behaved”.
A few days earlier, the American president told reporters at the White House that he planned to meet Kim Jong-un this year.
Despite Donald Trump’s repeated attempts at rapprochement, North Korea has shown little sign of reciprocity, firing missiles and notably condemning military exercises – although carried out on a reduced scale -, as well as Washington’s approval of arms sales to South Korea.
