South Korea and the United States conduct joint military exercise, escalating regional tensions

Seoul — South Korea and the United States commenced joint military exercises on Monday, further escalating regional tensions amid concerns from neighbouring countries.

The annual spring military exercise, named Freedom Shield (FS), will run for eleven days until 19 March 2026, according to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff.

During the exercises, a total of twenty-two field exercises involving direct military manoeuvres will be conducted.

The number of field exercises has been reduced to less than half compared to the March 2025 Freedom Shield exercises, reflecting the government’s position to distribute such manoeuvres throughout the year.

Seoul and Washington maintain that the joint exercises are defensive in nature; however, North Korea has denounced them as exercises in preparation for invasion of the north.