South Korea, US kick off huge annual military drills with 21,000 troops

South Korea and the United States began their annual large-scale joint military exercise on Monday to better cope with threats from nuclear-armed North Korea, which has warned the drills would deepen regional tensions and vowed to respond to “any provocation” against its territory.

The 11-day Ulchi Freedom Shield – the second of two large-scale exercises held annually in South Korea, after another set in March – will involve 21,000 soldiers, including 18,000 South Koreans, in computer-simulated command post operations and field training.

The drills, which the allies describe as defensive, could trigger a response from North Korea, which has long portrayed the exercises as invasion rehearsals and has often used them as a pretext for military demonstrations and weapons tests aimed at advancing its nuclear programme.

In a statement last week, North Korean Defence Minister No Kwang-chol said the drills showed the allies’ stance of “military confrontation” with the North and declared that its forces would be ready to counteract “any provocation going beyond the boundary line”.

Ulchi Freedom Shield comes at a pivotal moment for South Korea’s new liberal President Lee Jae-myung, who is preparing for a summit next Monday with US President Donald Trump in Washington.