South Korea and the US to conduct Freedom Shield military drills in March reuters.com

South Korea and the United States will conduct major joint military drills known as Freedom Shield from March 9 to 19, military officials from the countries said on Wednesday. The annual exercise is “defensive in nature”, officials said at a briefing, though the designation has not prevented it from being a frequent flashpoint with North Korea, which has long denounced the drills as a rehearsal for invasion.