US, South Korea, Japan to hold military drill near Jeju as North Korea threat tensions rise
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "US, South Korea, Japan to hold military drill near Jeju as North Korea threat tensions rise")
This handout photo taken on July 11, 2025 and provided by South Korean Defence Ministry shows US Air Force B-52H bombers (C), South Korean Air Force KF-16 fighter jets (L) and Japanese Air Self-Defense Force F-2 fighter jets (R) flying in formation during a joint air drill over international waters off South Korea's southern island of Jeju. Photograph: (AFP)
South Korea, the US, and Japan will conduct the trilateral "Freedom Edge" military exercise near Jeju Island to counter North Korean nuclear threats, despite Pyongyang's vocal condemnation and missile tests.
South Korea, the US and Japan will hold a five-day trilateral military exercise near South Korea’s Jeju Island next month as the three countries seek to strengthen their response to North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats, officials in Seoul said on Friday (Aug 28). The Freedom Edge drill will begin on September 7 in waters off Jeju Island, South Korea’s military said.
The exercise comes amid heightened tensions on the Korean Peninsula and could further complicate prospects for an early return to diplomacy between North Korea and the US. A day earlier, Pyongyang vowed retaliation over what it described as US hostilities.
South Korea’s military said the drill is defensive in nature and is intended to counter North Korean nuclear and missile threats while promoting regional peace and stability. Freedom Edge was launched in 2024 and involves increasingly advanced joint exercises by the three countries. The drills include simultaneous air and naval operations focused on ballistic missile defence, anti-submarine warfare, surveillance and other military capabilities.
North Korea has previously condemned the trilateral exercise as a “reckless show of strength”, accusing the US, South Korea and Japan of pursuing a confrontational approach. Pyongyang has also claimed that the drills reflect US efforts to lay siege to China and put pressure on Russia.
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The latest announcement comes after the US and South Korean militaries ended their annual Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise six days earlier than scheduled last week. US President Donald Trump had said he ordered the Pentagon to “substantially reduce” the exercise, which North Korea regards as a rehearsal for invasion. Trump cited what he described as a “good relationship” with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
Pyongyang, however, rejected the move, saying that shortening the exercise did not alter its “provocative, aggressive nature”. North Korea subsequently launched about 10 short-range ballistic missiles into the sea, in what appeared to be a response to the US-South Korea drill.
