STARTING IN 2019, tensions have been rising in the Korean Peninsula. First, the United States’s deal to pull back sanctions on North Korea in exchange for Pyongyang’s disarmament fell through and led to a derailment in nuclear negotiations. After that, North Korea bolstered its nuclear deterrent, showing little interest in cooperating with South Korea and the United States. This year, North Korea started testing weapons at a record pace, conducting more than 30 ballistic missile tests[1]. As a response to North Korea’s provocations, Washington and Seoul decided to restore their large-scale training exercises with Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS) after four years of postponement, underscoring their commitment to joint security over diplomacy with Pyongyang.

What is UFS?

   Before they were downsized by the Moon Jae-in administration, the United States and South Korea used to hold two major joint exercises in Korea every spring and summer. UFS is a summertime drill that was restored this year and was held from August 22 to September 1. Like previous summertime drills, one of the primary aspects of UFS was computer simulations that could hone joint decision making and planning between South Korea and the United States. This time around, however, UFS also updated its training to include “real-world scenarios.” For example, programs included preparations against drone attacks and cyberwarfare––new types of warfare that emerged with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine[2]. Moveover, UFS marked the first time that the South Korean Deputy Commander[3] switched duties with the U.S. Combined Forces Command (CFC) Commander[4] and led joint exercises, showing South Korea and the United States’ strengthened sense of camaraderie. 

The long pause

   In 2018, the Moon administration started scaling back joint exercises with the United States. The Pyeongchang Winter Olympics was cited as the primary reason for the Foal Eagle Exercise’s[5] delay. However, the popular opinion is that it was a strategy to avoid conflicts with North Korea ahead of the much-anticipated first summit between the U.S. President at the time, Donald Trump, and Supreme Leader of North Korea Kim Jong-un. After the first North Korea-United States summit in Singapore, Trump announced that the United States would halt its joint military exercises with South Korea in order to advance denuclearization talks with North Korea[6]. Trump also cited the high cost of the drills as another reason why he decided to halt joint exercises[7]. 

   In response, South Korea expressed its disapproval of Trump’s independent decision, highlighting the importance of joint military exercises in reducing tensions and supporting diplomatic efforts toward North Korea’s denuclearization[6]. Despite that, in order to maintain a friendly relationship with the United States, South Korea ultimately yielded and stopped large-scale joint military exercises starting from early 2019. The COVID-19 pandemic also factored into both governments’ decision to pause their joint exercises in recent years[8]. 

Why UFS is being held

   North Korea’s aggressiveness surged this year as it conducted an unprecedented number of weapons testing. Not only did North Korea mark its largest number of ballistic missile launches in a single year, but there have also been reports by Deutsche Welle on Pyongyang conducting a seventh nuclear test later this year after its last test in September, 2017[9]. Considering these threatening signals from North Korea, experts like Michael Green, the Senior Vice President for Asia and the Japan Chair at the Center for Strategic & International Studies, perceived UFS as a necessary opportunity for both South Korea and the United States “to shape the expectations of Pyongyang[10].” Kim Jong-un is currently using a range of provocations to weaken the security of the Korean peninsula for greater influence, and if South Korea and the United States do not stand against Jong-un at an equal stance, he will “feel more comfortable engaging in gray zone coercion[10].” In this regard, UFS demonstrated the allies’ determination to dominate any escalation in North Korean provocations, preventing Jong-un from taking further risks to endanger the peninsula. 

   While the Trump administration cited the high cost of joint exercises with advances in North Korea’s denuclearization as reasons to postpone joint exercises, none of these excuses have found grounds in reality, eliminating the need to pause joint United States-South Korea defense exercises. According to Thomas Spoehr, the Director of The Heritage Foundation’s Center for National Defense, the $14 million expense for exercises is a typical and necessary cost for practicing military cooperation and complex operations. For example, the United States Central Command’s exercises in the Persian Gulf in 1990 are credited for the success of the 1991 Operation Desert Storm in Iraq. In addition, North Korea’s refusal to work towards denuclearization and instead take provocative actions make it more pertinent for the United States and South Korea to continue their defense training. North Korea did not keep its side of the aforementioned deal with the United States regarding denuclearization; while the United States removed sanctions and even canceled joint exercises with South Korea, North Korea did not decrease its nuclear capabilities. General Robert Abrams, the Commander of the United States Forces Korea stated that they have observed “no significant changes to size, scope, or timing of [North Korea’s] ongoing exercises[11].” 

North Korea’s response

   North Korea denounced UFS and referred to it as a “rehearsal for a war of invasion against the country” that would heighten tensions in the Korean peninsula[12]. Uriminzokkiri, a propaganda outlet in North Korea, also commented in late August that “peace and war frenzy can never coexist,” criticizing UFS and the Yoon Suk-yeol administration’s military buildup[12]. With North Korea’s hostile reactions, there are concerns that UFS might create more problems for the peninsula. In particular, UFS has already caused North Korea to reject Yoon’s recent offer of economic assistance and infrastructure investment in exchange for North Korea’s denuclearization. Kim Yo-jong, sister of Kim Jong-un, called President Yoon’s proposal “foolish,” doubting the sincerity of his words[13]. Yo-jong also underscored how South Korea’s proposal was ironic in nature, as South Korea chose to continue military exercises with the United States while simultaneously calling for improved bilateral relations with North Korea. Moreover, she stated that Yoon’s words would only incite “surging hatred and wrath” from North Koreans and she expressed North Korea’s desire to continue developing nuclear weapons[13]. In an interview in July, Choe Jin, Deputy Director of a think tank run by North Korea’s Foreign Ministry, also warned of possible backfire or retaliation, stating that South Korea would face “unprecedented security challenges if they [did not] drop [UFS] against North Korea[1].”

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   Despite UFS becoming a flash point for North Korea and its aggressiveness, it was a key element for South Korea and the United States to “improve readiness in a changing strategic environment[8].” Not only did UFS act as a crucial step in strengthening the United States-South Korea alliance, but it also demonstrated the allies’ stance of taking proactive steps against North Korea’s future threats. Yet, the decision to conduct UFS could be a risky choice that further intensifies tensions in the Korean peninsula.

[1] NPR

[2] The Diplomat

[3] Deputy Commander: A four-star Republic of Korea Army general

[4] CFC Commander: A four-star U.S. general

[5] Foal Eagle Exercise: A combined field training exercise conducted annually by the Republic of Korea Armed Forces and the United States Armed Forces

[6] Politico

[7] CNN

[8] Military Times

[9] The Indian Express

[10] Korea JoongAng Daily

[11] The Heritage Foundation

[12] The Korea Herald

[13] ABC News