US-South Korea Military Exercises: Coordinate with Japan To Deter North Korea

From Aug. 22 to Sept. 1, the U.S. and South Korea will be conducting a joint military exercise called Ulchi Freedom Shield. This will be the first regular exercise since South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol’s administration took office in May.

Resuming for the first time in about four years since the spring of 2018, the exercise will include drills in outdoor large-scale maneuvers mobilizing tens of thousands of troops, aircraft and warships. The exercises come as a welcome move, as they will strengthen U.S.-South Korean deterrence against North Korea, which has repeatedly engaged in military provocation.

The joint exercises were canceled or substantially curtailed at the wishes of Former South Korean President Moon Jae-in and Former U.S. President Donald Trump, and the focus also shifted to include theoretical tabletop exercises. These changes were made with the expectation that denuclearization negotiations with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s administration would advance at both the inter-Korean Summit in April 2018 and the first-ever leadership summit between the U.S. and North Korea in June of the same year.

But recently, North Korea has not taken any concrete steps toward denuclearization. Furthermore, from the period of the previous Moon administration until now, it has repeatedly launched ballistic missiles and nuclear weapons delivery systems with an aim of strengthening its nuclear force. Some also believe that North Korea is completing preparations for a seventh nuclear weapons test.

The Kim regime will undoubtedly oppose the joint exercises. China has also seemingly shown concern about them, but there is no room for compromise with the U.S. and South Korea. We would like to see Yoon’s administration and U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration revitalize the regularly scheduled exercises, which the previous Moon administration watered down, as a reliable measure for full preparation against emergencies. We also hope that both administrations will forge ahead for stability in Northeast Asia.

At the same time, to maintain more vigilant deterrence against North Korea and its supporter, China, the U.S., Japan and South Korea must cooperate. From Aug. 8 to 14, during the Rim of the Pacific Exercise in Hawaii, the “Pacific Dragon” exercises were held, in which warships from various allied nations executed drills and shared information to detect and track ballistic missiles. It is assumed that these exercises were meant as a cooperative response to North Korea’s missile launches.

Since 2016, several joint exercises have been conducted, but the Moon administration declined to announce them publicly, citing concerns about North Korea and China as well as deteriorating relations with Japan. The Yoon administration’s public approval of such exercises seemingly demonstrates an intention to normalize security relations between the U.S., Japan and South Korea.

At the same time, South Korea should apologize for the 2018 incident in which a South Korean destroyer ship targeted a Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force patrol plane in the Sea of Japan with a fire-control lock-on radar, and it should take steps to prevent such an incident from occurring again. South Korea must also end its unfair rejection of the Rising Sun flag, the Maritime Self-Defense Force’s insignia. Sincere trust-building is essential for cooperation between the U.S., Japan and South Korea.