South Korea Reaffirms Trilateral Drills with US and Japan Despite North Korean Criticism

SEOUL, Sept. 1 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's military reaffirmed Tuesday the upcoming combined exercise with the United States and Japan will go ahead as scheduled, following North Korea's renewed criticism branding the drills as evolving hostility toward the regime.

A spokesperson from the North's foreign ministry on Monday slammed the trilateral Freedom Edge exercise, set for Sept. 7-11, warning that it is "pointless" to expect an easing of tensions on the Korean Peninsula so long as Washington maintains its hostile policy toward Pyongyang.

"This exercise is an annual defensive drill conducted by South Korea, the U.S., and Japan to counter North Korean nuclear and missile threats, and safeguard regional peace and stability," South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff spokesperson Capt. Jang Do-young said in a press briefing.

"There are no changes to the schedule so far," he said.

The three countries announced last week they will conduct the multidomain combined exercise in international waters east and south of South Korea's southern island of Jeju.

Freedom Edge, set for its fourth iteration this year, is seen as symbolizing enhanced trilateral security cooperation among the three nations as a key outcome of the Camp David leaders' summit in August 2023.

Some experts view Pyongyang's latest statement as a test to gauge whether U.S. President Donald Trump would be willing to modify a military commitment with Seoul to resume dialogue with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

Seoul and Washington recently scaled back their Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise last month after Trump ordered the Pentagon to "significantly" reduce the drills.

North Korea has strongly denounced the allies' joint military drills as war rehearsals.