South Korea and the US have announced yet another joint military drill.
The drill will be explicitly aimed at countering the alleged nuclear threat from North Korea, and will involve the civilian administration of South Korea as well, spokespersons from both the US and South Korean militaries said in a joint press conference on 12 August.
South Korea’s joint chiefs of staff declared that the drill, which will be part of the annual “Ulchi Freedom Shield” (UFS) exercises, will be the “first ever government drill that simulates North Korea’s [alleged] nuclear attack,” the Korea Times reported.
US spokesperson Ryan Donald did not specify the number of US troops to participate in the exercises. However, he confirmed that the “exercise will reflect realistic threats [coming allegedly from North Korea] across all domains”.
Nodutdol, a Korean diaspora and anti-imperialist organisation based in the US, has staged a response to escalating military drills by launching its new campaign, “US out of Korea“.
Alleged threats from North Korea have been used by the US military to carry out various drills in the region. The proposed drills would be the second of such exercises in less than three months. On 26-29 June, South Korea, Japan and U.S forces held a joint military exercise called “Freedom Edge”, which North Korea denounced as an attempt to create an Asian Nato. – Peoples Dispatch/Globetrotter News Service
- Sign up for Aliran's free daily email updates or weekly newsletters or both
- Make a one-off donation to Persatuan Aliran Kesedaran Negara, CIMB a/c 8004240948
- Make a regular pledge or periodic auto-donation to Aliran
- Become an Aliran member
- Tegakkan maruah serta kualiti kehidupan rakyat
- Galakkan pembangunan saksama, lestari serta tangani krisis alam sekitar
- Raikan kerencaman dan keterangkuman
- Selamatkan demokrasi dan angkatkan keluhuran undang-undang
- Lawan rasuah dan kronisme
