The United States and South Korea began a large joint military exercise today, involving thousands of troops, even as Washington remains engaged in an escalating conflict in the Middle East. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said about 18,000 South Korean troops will participate in the Freedom Shield exercise, which will run until March 19.
US Forces Korea has not confirmed the number of American troops involved. The exercise could draw a strong reaction from North Korea, which has long condemned joint US-South Korean drills as rehearsals for invasion and has often used them to justify its own missile tests and military demonstrations. While the allies say the drills are defensive in nature.
