Seoul [South Korea], September 15 (ANI): South Korea, the United States, and Japan have launched their five-day trilateral multi-domain exercise titled Freedom Edge on Monday, Yonhap reported, citing the military. The exercise is taking place in international waters east and south of South Korea’s Jeju Island from September 15–19, according to the report.
The ongoing drills mark the third round of the trilateral exercises, with previous rounds held in June and November last year. Yonhap noted that this is the first such exercise since South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and US President Donald Trump took office.
According to the military, the three nations aim to enhance interoperability and maintain “solid and stable” trilateral cooperation through the exercise, Yonhap said. Citing the US Indo-Pacific Command, the report added that the drills “demonstrate the countries’ shared commitment to collectively achieve and maintain peace in the Asia-Pacific.”
Freedom Edge features training to sharpen ballistic missile defense and air defense capabilities, as well as medical evacuation and maritime interdiction operations.
Meanwhile, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s sister, Kim Yo Jong, has strongly criticized the upcoming joint military exercises between the United States, Japan, and South Korea, calling them “dangerous” and a “reckless show of strength,” Al Jazeera reported. Kim Yo Jong, vice department director of the North Korean ruling party’s central committee, said the drills were a “dangerous idea.”
“This reminds us that the reckless display of power by the US, Japan, and South Korea in the wrong places — namely around the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea — will undoubtedly bring about negative consequences for themselves,” she warned.
In addition to the trilateral exercises, the US and South Korea plan to stage the Iron Mace tabletop drills next week, aimed at integrating conventional and nuclear capabilities to counter North Korea’s threats, according to South Korean media. South Korea currently hosts approximately 28,500 American troops.
Iron Mace will be the first such exercise under President Trump and newly elected President Lee, both of whom have expressed a willingness to resume dialogue with North Korea. (ANI)
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