Disagreements between South Korea and the U.S. over reducing joint exercises have delayed the announcement of the implementation plan for the South Korea-U.S. joint drill “Freedom Shield (FS),” it was learned on the 22nd. Earlier, differences between the two countries were exposed over the ruling party’s push for the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) Act and South Korea-U.S.-Japan training, among other issues, and divergent views have also emerged regarding the first-half regular exercises.
According to government sources, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff and U.S. Forces Korea had planned to jointly announce on the 25th that the “Freedom Shield” joint exercise would be conducted from the 9th to the 19th of next month. However, the announcement was postponed after the South Korean government recently requested a significant reduction in the South Korea-U.S. joint field exercise, typically conducted intensively during this period, and the U.S. side expressed reluctance.
The South Korean government believes measures to ease military tensions, such as reducing training, are necessary to make this year the “first year of peaceful coexistence between the two Koreas.” However, U.S. Forces Korea reportedly expressed surprise at the sudden proposal to modify the outdoor mobility training plan previously established by both countries. It is said that troops and equipment participating in the training have begun moving from the U.S. mainland, and some have already been deployed to South Korea.
It was also belatedly confirmed that the South Korean government proposed excluding Japan in response to the U.S. side’s suggestion of a South Korea-U.S.-Japan air joint training. After the Defense Ministry expressed difficulty with the timing of the U.S. proposal for a South Korea-U.S.-Japan joint training and suggested changing it to a South Korea-U.S. training without Japan, the U.S. did not accept the proposal. The U.S. military conducted air training involving four B-52 bombers, a key U.S. strategic asset, with the Japan Air Self-Defense Force in the East Sea and the East China Sea on the 16th and 18th.
◇“Exclude Japan from Air Joint Training,” Korea Requests U.S.
National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac said in a video address at the 5th Trans-Pacific Dialogue (TPD) event in Washington, DC, on the 20th, “I am confident that South Korea-U.S.-Japan cooperation will contribute to peace and prosperity in a broader region.” Regarding the Chosun Ilbo report (February 21, A1 page) that the South Korean government rejected the U.S. proposal for a South Korea-U.S.-Japan joint air training, the Defense Ministry said, “This is not true,” and added, “The South Korea-U.S. alliance and South Korea-U.S.-Japan security cooperation remain solid.”
The implication is that while the government requested a “training adjustment” as it could not accept the U.S. proposal due to scheduling issues, there was no response, but it was not a “rejection” by the government. In this regard, a Defense Ministry spokesperson said in a phone call with the Chosun Ilbo on the 21st, “After receiving the U.S. proposal, we requested that the training be moved up due to the Lunar New Year holiday and Takeshima Day, but the U.S. did not accept this.” The U.S.-proposed schedule overlapped with the Lunar New Year holiday (15th–18th), and with Takeshima Day (22nd), established by Japan’s Shimane Prefecture to claim sovereignty over Dokdo, approaching soon, so an adjustment was requested.
On February 22, 2023, when South Korea, the U.S., and Japan conducted a maritime joint training in response to North Korea’s intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), then Democratic Party of Korea leader President Lee Jae Myung said, “If you don’t find it strange to hear that a South Korea-U.S.-Japan joint training was conducted on Takeshima Day, there’s a problem.”
The official added, “We counter-proposed conducting a bilateral South Korea-U.S. training if the training could only be held on those dates, but the U.S. said, ‘Then we’ll just do it with Japan (U.S.-Japan).’”
However, a military source said, “There are expressions that indirectly reject the training proposal,” and added, “The U.S. likely interpreted South Korea’s request for schedule adjustment and ‘exclusion of Japan’ in that light.” It is said that during the Moon Jae-in administration, the U.S. also proposed a South Korea-U.S.-Japan air training, but the South Korean side responded passively, leading to separate trainings by the South Korea-U.S. and U.S.-Japan air forces.
A former senior Defense Ministry official also said, “Proposing an alternative is itself a rejection of the original proposal.” One security expert remarked, “If South Korea suggested excluding Japan and the United States responded by saying it would rather exclude Korea instead, wouldn’t that also be a problem?”
