The Freedom Shield exercises, set for March 4-14, come as North Korea continues to test missiles and other weapons systems and develop its nuclear capabilities, and will be first since Pyongyang scrapped a 2018 inter-Korean military pact in November. The drills will be "tough and realistic", and based on scenarios that reflect lessons from recent conflicts, officials from the two countries militaries said at a briefing.
South Korea is considering resuming psychological warfare operations, such as propaganda broadcasts or propaganda leaflets, against North Korea in the wake of the North s drone infiltration into South Korean airspace, according to a government official, Thursday. The idea came to light one day after President Yoon Suk-yeol threatened, Wednesday, to suspend a 2018 military pact if North Korea violates the inter-Korean border again. Last year, North Korea flew five drones across the border for the first time in five years.