U.S., South Korea Finish Freedom Shield Exercises

The U.S. and South Korea have wrapped up some of their largest military exercises, centered around defending against threats from North Korea.

Transcript

00:00U.S. and South Korean soldiers looking for weapons of mass destruction, with a little

00:06help from men's latest best friend.

00:09For the past 11 days, armies from both countries have been conducting the annual Freedom Shield

00:15exercises in South Korea, which are centered on defending against a common enemy.

00:21Neighboring North Korea has been improving its weapons program with at least five missile

00:25tests already this year.

00:28It's this kind of aggression that makes these exercises critical to the U.S.-Korea alliance.

00:33Something as simple as building a bridge helps foster ties.

00:36I think this is the best way to strengthen the U.S. alliance.

00:39If you look behind us, the bridge that was just constructed took the sheer effort of

00:43both U.S. and ROK soldiers.

00:46Two soldiers who, although they don't speak a common language, can come out here and complete

00:50a common task.

00:52I absolutely believe it is the symbol of the U.S.-ROK alliance.

00:57Meanwhile in Europe, fresh waves of North Korean soldiers are making their way onto

01:01the battlefields of Ukraine, with some Russian units now mostly made of non-Russian troops.

01:07This is raising concern with U.S. allies, as Pyongyang and Moscow could form closer

01:11security ties and change the balance of power in Asia.

01:15You know, this has strategic implications not only from the standpoint of Russia helping

01:20advance North Korea's military technology, but also by kind of reducing potentially North

01:26Korean reliance on China, which has significant impacts for regional power dynamics.

01:31That's why the U.S. and South Korea are taking advantage of the Freedom Shield drills to

01:35step up cooperation and practice realistic scenarios, like fighting side by side in big

01:40cities.

01:41It's, you know, ensuring that our joint plans to respond to contingencies are actually being,

01:48you know, put into practice, but also from a deterrence signaling standpoint, kind of,

01:54you know, showing potential adversaries that, you know, the U.S.-Korea alliance remains

02:00active, it remains strong, and prepared to respond to any acts of aggression.

02:07North Korea has continued to denounce these exercises, saying they are dangerous and provocative.

02:12But for the U.S. and South Korea, it's a reminder of their strong alliance, held for over 70

02:18years.

02:19Devin Tsai, Zelan Shata, and Jaime Okon for Taiwan Plus.