South Korea and the United States will hold military exercises near the border with North Korea, sparking controversy and concern in the region. These maneuvers, known as “combined annihilation firepower maneuvers,” are considered the largest of their kind to date.
Despite Pyongyang’s warnings not to tolerate hostile invasion tests on its territory, the South Korean and U.S. militaries will conduct these live-fire exercises on May 25, 2023. This action coincides with the 70th anniversary of the military alliance between Seoul and Washington, but has been a cause for concern due to previous responses from North Korea, which has tested missiles and other weapons in reaction to similar military exercises.
Since early 2022, North Korea has conducted more than 100 missile test launches, but has not conducted any since mid-April, when it launched a solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile. While Pyongyang argues that its tests are a response to U.S. and South Korean military maneuvers, some U.S. experts believe North Korea is seeking to advance its weapons development and then extract concessions in a subsequent diplomatic process.
These military exercises, which have taken place 11 times since 1977, will be the largest yet, according to South Korea’s Defense Ministry. Stealth fighters, helicopter gunships, tanks and multiple rocket launcher systems from both South Korea and the United States are expected to participate. Although the exact number of participating soldiers has not been confirmed, previous exercises in 2017 mobilized around 2,000 soldiers and 250 weapons assets from both countries.
South Korea’s armed forces are composed of the army, navy, marines, air force, and reserve forces. Currently, they have approximately 965,000 active duty soldiers and 4 million in reserve, making them one of the largest and most modern armed forces in the world.