The scale of regional tensions has eased somewhat since the end of the joint US-South Korean exercise on March 14, 2024. Both sides made bellicose statements, the South Koreans continued to conduct field training exercises both on their own and with the US, and the North Korean leadership occasionally launched missiles and focused its attention on military and industrial facilities. In addition, both sides, especially the South, have been following the course of the Israel-Hamas conflict, as the ROK’s military envisages the possibility of a similar attack from North Korea.
From March 18 to 21, South Korean and US Armed Forces conducted a joint exercise in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, which included operations in urban areas and underground facilities. The relevance of offensive and defensive operations of this type has increased as a result of the current conflict between Israel and Hamas. The exercise involved about 400 troops, including soldiers from South Korea’s 9th Infantry Division, a platoon of US Infantry and other units, as well as tanks, helicopters and unmanned aerial vehicles.
On March 22, known as West Sea Defense Day, on which South Korea honors military personnel who died in combat while defending the disputed maritime border between South and North Korea from 2002 to 2010, President Yoon Suk-yeol said that “our military will maintain an ironclad readiness posture and firmly defend the Republic of Korea’s freedom and the people’s safety by responding immediately and overwhelmingly to any provocation… Should North Korea carry out a reckless provocation, it will pay a larger price for sure.”
From March 25 to 27, in the waters of the Sea of Japan a live-fire exercise was held. It was designed to rehearse the mounting of a strong response to “provocations by the DPRK in the form of missile launches of various types.” About 10 warships, including the destroyer ROKS Gwanggaeto the Great (DDH-I), the frigate Pohang (FFG-II), and submarines and naval aviation aircraft participated in the exercise. The Navy practiced various operations, including firing at “enemy” ships, conducting anti-submarine drills and countering small UAVs.
The drills did not take place without tragedy. On may 27 a serviceman fell into the water while two speedboats were performing firing practice from the side of one of them. He was rescued and taken to hospital, where he later died. The Navy is ascertaining all the circumstances of the incident.
On April 2, a US Air Force B-52H strategic bomber, capable of carrying up to 31 tons of bombs, including air-to-ground nuclear missiles with a range of 200 km, and flying more than 6,400 km, conducted a joint exercise with the Korean and Japanese air forces. F-15K fighters from the Korean Air Force, F-2 fighters from the Japanese Air Force and F-16 fighters from the US Air Force also took part in the exercise.
It was the third airborne field training drill conducted by the allies since they agreed to intensify such exercises following the Camp David Agreement in August 2023. Meanwhile, according to South Korean media reports, the bombers were equipped with nuclear warheads and the drills “were conducted to deter North Korea’s growing nuclear and missile threats and enhance response capabilities,” and took place just hours after North Korea launched an intermediate-range missile into the Sea of Japan.
From April 1 through April 9, South Korean and US navies conducted regular anti-mine exercises in the Sea of Japan. They practiced the installation, detection and neutralization of mines, and joint actions aimed at providing logistical support to troops and protecting key ports and sea routes. The US sent a Miguel Keith floating landing base, two minesweepers and MH-53 helicopters to participate in the exercise. South Korea mobilized six ships, including the minesweeper Nampo, as well as helicopters.
On April 9, South Korea and the US conducted a joint Marine Corps exercise in the Sea of Japan “to hone their skills in deterring maritime security threats and ensuring safe navigation in the sea.”
On the same day, April 9 Admiral Kim Myung-soo, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the South Korean Armed Forces, visited military units of the Ground Force and Marine Corps who are currently defending the country’s east coast in order to check their combat readiness. He visited the Coastal Radar Surveillance Base of the 23rd Army Coastal Defense Brigade. During his meeting with the officers, Admiral Kim Myung-soo urged them to maintain a high level of defense capability, noting that coastline protection is an a comprehensive task involving cooperation between the military and other relevant agencies. Kim Myung-soo also visited the First Naval Fleet Command. He instructed the sailors to mount a tough response to possible provocations by Pyongyang.
On April 11, 2024, during the 24th meeting of the Korea-US Integrated Defense Dialogue (KIDD), it was decided that the upcoming Ulchi Freedom Shield joint exercise in August would be a theoretical or tabletop exercise to rehearse a scenario involving a response to Pyongyang’s use of nuclear weapons. “Such exercises help avoid potential coordination problems and improve response times well in advance of actual emergency operations.”
On April 11 and 12, 2024, in international waters south of Jeju Island, South Korea, the US and Japan conducted a naval training exercise involving a US aircraft carrier. The vessels participating in the exercise were the South Korean destroyer Seoae Ryu Seong-ryong, the American aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt and destroyers Howard, Daniel Inouye and Russell, and the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyer Ariake. The exercise was organized in accordance with the long-term trilateral exercise plan prepared by the defense agencies of South Korea, the US and Japan in accordance with the agreement concluded during the summit last August at Camp David.
On April 12, South Korea and the United States began an annual joint air exercise involving about 100 military aircraft of 25 types, including US F-35B stealth fighters and South Korean F-35A stealth fighters. The focus was on “integrating advanced fighter jet operations, enhancing precision strike capabilities, and training troops on combat search and rescue scenarios and mass paratrooper airdrops.”
The allied fleet practiced anti-submarine operations, the interception of illegal transportation of WMDs, and search and rescue operations.
On April 17, the South Korean Army and Marine Corps conducted large-scale artillery drills at a range near the border with North Korea. About 430 troops from the Main Army Corps, 17th Army Division, Capital Region Artillery Brigade and Second Marine Division participated in the exercise. Thirty pieces of combat equipment were involved, including K9 and K55A1 self-propelled howitzers, counter-battery radars and reconnaissance drones. The South Korean military described the maneuvers as being designed to improve the coherence of troops in responding to threats from the DPRK.
On April 18, US and South Korean special forces conducted an airborne training exercise involving about 260 soldiers, as well as eight C-17, C-130J, C-130H, and CN-235 transport aircraft. The exercise rehearsed operational infiltration into specified areas and the destruction of targets during air infiltration under combat conditions. It has also been reported that the US-South Korean team looked at ways to integrate South Korean reconnaissance satellites into real-world missions and operations in preparation for their full deployment.
From April 12 to 26, South Korea and the US conducted a joint exercise to counter various threats from the DPRK in outer space. The South Korean Air Force Space Operations Squadron and the US Air Force Space Force participated in the exercise. They formed a joint space operations team that participated in the annual large-scale Korea Flying Training (KFT) exercise for the first time. The exercise rehearsed combat strikes on enemy forces, as well as surveillance, satellite jamming, and transportation tasks.
From April 17 to April 26, the South Korean Navy and Marine Corps conducted a brigade-level “combined landing assault exercise” to improve the effectiveness of landing assault operations. The maneuvers involved about 2,800 personnel from various units of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, 24 units of KAAV amphibious assault vehicles, 15 Navy ships, including the large landing ship Dokdo (LPH) and other landing ships (LST-I, LST-II), about 20 aircraft (MUH-1 Marineon, CH-47 Chinook transport helicopters and, C-130 transport aircraft).
On May 8 to 10, the Northwest Islands Defense Command and the Marine Corps conducted a joint exercise for the defense of the islands of Baengnyeongdo and Yeonpyeongdo and the surrounding waters. These two small archipelagos are located at a considerable distance from the South Korean mainland, but in close proximity to the North Korean coast. The maneuvers involved Marine Corps, Air Force, Navy and special forces personnel. Various scenarios were practiced, including the defense of the islands against a possible North Korean landing, transfer of reinforcements to the islands, and landing of South Korean troops.
On May 10, South Korean media reported that in response to North Korea’s restoration of border posts which had been demolished under the 2018 inter-Korean military agreement, South Korea is considering deploying special operations forces to the demilitarized zone.
Also on May 10, a combined exercise involving units of the South Korean Army, Navy and Air Force was held in the waters of the Sea of Japan. They included live firing of missiles of various classes (anti-air, anti-ship, and ground attack), and for the first time, the Korean Combat System Comprehensive Capabilities Assessment (K-CSSQT) system was used. The purpose of the maneuvers was to strengthen the coherence and improve interaction between units of different branches of the armed forces, and to increase the effectiveness of responses to provocations by the DPRK. The exercise involved about 10 Navy warships (the destroyer ROKS Gwanggaeto the Great, the Chuncheon and Jeonbuk frigates, etc.), P-3 maritime patrol aircraft, Lynx maritime helicopters, AH-64 Joint Strike Fighter aircraft and KF-16 Air Force fighter aircraft. The missiles launched were Haegung (K-SAAM) air-to-ship, Haeryong ship-to land and Haeseong 1 ship-to-ship missiles. The exercise practiced scenarios involving the repelling of air, sea and land strikes.
On May 14, the South Korean Air Force Operations Command organized a comprehensive exercise practicing measures to counter a large-scale (about 800 targets) enemy infiltration of South Korean airspace by the enemy. Among the likely threats were manned and unmanned aerial vehicles attacks and cruise and ballistic missile attacks on South Korean territory. The exercise was conducted as Iran’s recent launch of more than three hundred drones and missiles toward Israel raised fears of a similar attack by North Korea.
The exercise involved about 30 F-35A, F-15K, KF-16 fighter jets, Patriot and Cheongung (KM-SAM) air defense/missile defense systems, the ROKS Sejong the Great destroyer equipped with an Aegis system, Vulcan, K-30 Biho and K-31 Cheonma (K-SAM) anti-aircraft guns. The exercise scenario involved the detection of enemy air targets and missiles, their interception by various air defense systems, the verification of the procedure of performing air defense tasks at various altitudes, and the destruction of the remaining air targets by aviation.
Also on May 14, an evacuation drill involving civil servants and school staff was held as part of civil defense preparations to improve readiness for an air attack.
On May 16, the South Korean and US air forces held a joint exercise. Two South Korean F-35A fighter jets and two US F-22 Raptor jets, flying in close formation, practiced air combat missions. As part of the training, the pilots practiced close air combat, defensive and offensive maneuvers. According to the South Korean Air Force headquarters, it was the first time an exercise of this kind had been conducted. The F-35 and F-22 are among the most recent fifth-generation fighter jets. The South Korean Air Force has 39 F-35A fighter jets in service, while the US Air Force is the only one to operate F-22 fighter jets.
In fact, this was just the first step. On May 16, 2024, South Korea’s Air Force began conducting a large-scale exercise called Soaring Eagle, which lasted for eight days. More than 60 different aircraft were involved, including F-35A, F-15K, KF-16, FA-50 and F-5 fighters, KA-1 light strike aircraft and KC-330 refueling tankers. The main focus of the maneuvers was on measures to respond to and counter the intrusion of enemy aircraft and UAVs, and to practice intercepting cruise missiles and launch preventive strikes against sources of “imminent provocation,” including mobile missile transportation and launching facilities. For the first time, the exercise involved the Air Force’s Space Operations Squadron, which was engaged in reconnaissance and monitoring electronic signals, identifying and detecting enemy jamming devices and electromagnetic warfare equipment, and transmitting accurate GPS data.
On May 17, NHK TV and the Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper reported that South Korea, the US and Japan will conduct their first joint coast guard exercise off the coast of Japan in June. The coast guard ships of the three countries will practice joint search and rescue operations and optimize their ability to work together.
From May 27 to May 29, the South Korean Armed Forces will hold the Taegeuk command post exercise, aimed at enhancing their ability to counter threats from Pyongyang. According to the Joint Chiefs of Staff of South Korea’s Armed Forces, computer modeling will be used to practice how troops will respond to a possible surprise attack by the enemy, including attacks such as those seen in Ukraine and in the conflict between Israel and Hamas. The Taegeuk exercise has been conducted annually since 1996. In 2019 the exercise was merged with the Ulchi government exercise, but the two were separated again in 2022.
It has also been reported that in December 2023, South Korea and the US agreed to hold a joint exercise simulating North Korea’s use of nuclear weapons. This will be the first such exercise and will likely take place against the backdrop of the Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS) maneuvers this fall, and the DPRK has already expressed strong displeasure about such an exercise. North Korea’s Central Telegraphic Agency has stated that these maneuvers involve the deployment of “advanced military equipment, including strategic nuclear forces, and are designed to fully realize the final stage of plans to launch a nuclear war.”
Experts from the Asia Risk Group point out that the maneuvers of April-May 2024, were combined exercises (involving different types and branches of troops) and were held in a highly publicized environment, with local media attention deliberately drawn to them.
To summarize (although this summary will not differ much from those in previous articles): Seoul takes the North Korean threat seriously and, regardless of whether there are real grounds for this, is actively engaged in increasing its military potential—and here the term “defense capability” is not entirely accurate. Since South Korea has no capability to repel a hypothetical attack by Pyongyang, it is betting on a preemptive strike, and this, in turn, is seen by Pyongyang as preparation for a war of aggression.
This belief is not unreasonable, because as diplomats and experts from Russia and China have repeatedly pointed out, South Korea’s exercises are raising tensions in the region even more than North Korea’s missile launches. Following a recent ministerial-level meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that the US and its allies are “aggravating the security situation in the Asia-Pacific region with their provocative actions.”
According to a statement by Kim Yo-jong, Deputy Department Director of the Publicity and Information Department of the Workers’ Party of Korea, which was published on April 24 by the KNCA news agency, in 2024, the US and its “lackeys” have already conducted more than 80 joint exercises, while the ROK itself has conducted more than 60. According to her, and the present author concurs with her assessment, these figures show who is really responsible for the deteriorating political situation in the region.
Konstantin Asmolov, Candidate of Historical Sciences, Leading Research Fellow at the Center for Korean Studies of the Institute of China and Modern Asia of the Russian Academy of Sciences, exclusively for the online magazine “New Eastern Outlook”