South Korea and US Begin Joint Exercise

South Korea’s Republic of Korea (ROK) and the U.S. Armed Forces have begun joint military drills that will conclude on 26 August.

Due to Covid-19, the exercises have been scaled back and focus on computerized simulations to minimize live field training. The first part of the event involves a defense exercise, and the second part will focus on a counterattack scenario.

The ROK and the U.S. regularly participate in joint exercises such as in Foul Eagle, Key Resolve and Dong Maeng, but North Korea continues to view them as preparations for “invasion”.

However, Pentagon spokesman Navy Capt. Jeff Davis told reporters, “These exercises are defensive in nature, and they have been carried out regularly, openly and transparently for nearly 40 years.”