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US, South Korea and Japan to hold trilateral drill
AP News • • general
Key Points:
- South Korea, the U.S., and Japan will conduct a trilateral military drill called Freedom Edge from September 7 for five days near South Korea’s Jeju Island, aimed at countering North Korean nuclear and missile threats.
- This decision comes despite North Korea's threats of retaliation and recent U.S. efforts to scale back joint military exercises as a goodwill gesture toward Pyongyang.
- North Korea condemned the trilateral drill as a provocative show of strength and has launched multiple short-range ballistic missiles in response to previous U.S.-South Korean exercises.
- The ongoing military activities and North Korea’s refusal to resume diplomacy without the U.S. dropping denuclearization demands highlight continued tensions and diminishing prospects for early dialogue.
- The U.S. Marine Corps confirmed adjustments to joint drills with South Korea due to operational constraints linked to the Middle East situation, but affirmed its commitment to the South Korean alliance.
