soldiers to fight North Korean troops battle-hardened from deployment in the Russia-Ukraine war. The 11-day ‘Ulchi Freedom Shield’ exercises, beginning Monday, are an annual fixture designed to defend against the nuclear-armed North. They will include 18,000 South Korean troops alongside personnel from the 28,500-strong US contingent, and this year's iteration emphasizes modern combat skills including drone, cyber-attack, and GPS jamming capabilities.

Pyongyang regularly labels such exercises rehearsals for an invasion and has signaled opposition by test-firing a ballistic missile over the Sea of Japan this week. A Foreign Ministry spokesman stated it is North Korea's "consistent principle of ensuring security to respond to a new level of a threat with a new level of a deterrent”, describing the drills as intended to master fighting based on "new aspects of modern warfare”. Since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, North Korea has become a key Kremlin ally, sending troops in return for economic benefits and military technology support. This week Ukraine accused Moscow of launching North Korean ballistic missiles in an attack killing at least nine people. Kyiv also claims up to 50,000 North Korean troops are due for deployment, though without providing evidence.

Colonel Ryan Donald, spokesman for the US-South Korean Combined Forces Command, said North Korea's European deployment has changed the threat soldiers may face, noting "they've taken those lessons learned there and brought them back”. Pyongyang added the drills come as the situation worsens "in Europe, the Middle East and other parts of the world”. Despite the belligerent rhetoric, analyst Hong Min noted the statement's "comparably restrained tone”, describing it as "matter-of-fact" and suggesting Pyongyang may wish to keep open channels for future engagement with Washington.

North Korea has declared itself an "irreversible" nuclear state since Kim Jong Un's 2019 summit with Donald Trump collapsed, and has recently bristled at Japan's military build-up, firing missiles after Tokyo pledged to enhance defense capabilities. However, analyst Victor Cha suggested Kim may seek a meeting with Trump, potentially after the US midterm elections. (Bssnews)