South Korea and U.S. disagree on FS exercises

South Korea-U.S. military authorities publicly revealed differences over the scale of field maneuvers as they jointly announced the schedule for the Freedom Shield (FS) exercise. The disagreement follows a series of misalignments, including disputes over the Demilitarized Zone law and U.S. air drills in the West Sea that have heightened tensions with China.

On Feb. 25, the Joint Chiefs of Staff and U.S. Forces Korea held a joint press conference at the Ministry of National Defense in Seoul. They said the FS exercise will take place from March 9 to 19 and described it as an opportunity to strengthen the combined defense posture of the South Korea-U.S. alliance and to continue preparations for the transfer of wartime operational control.

The two sides, however, expressed differing views on the Warrior Shield (WS) field maneuvers conducted during FS. South Korea said the exercises would be conducted evenly throughout the year, while U.S. Forces Korea emphasized that the March FS and WS drills will be carried out as major defensive-oriented exercises. In other words, South Korea highlighted the possibility of distributing exercises across the year, while the U.S. side stressed that large-scale field maneuvers will take place.

The two sides also framed the purpose of the FS exercise differently. U.S. Forces Korea described it as training that reflects global conflicts and past exercises, suggesting a focus on China. South Korea, in contrast, said FS represents an opportunity to continue preparations for the transfer of wartime operational control based on agreed conditions between the two allies.


Hyo-Ju Son hjson@donga.com