US, ROK and Japan to hold military exercises aimed at countering North Korea

ROK and Japan to hold military exercises aimed at countering North Korea

The five-day trilateral exercise will come weeks after Trump cut short another large-scale drill addressing DPRK threats
Joon Ha ParkAugust 28, 2026
The American nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS George Washington sails alongside South Korea’s ROKS Chungmugong Yi Sun-sin and Seoae Ryu Seong-ryong, Japan’s JS Haguro and other U.S. Navy destroyers during the second Freedom Edge exercise in international waters south of Jeju Island on Nov. 13, 2024 | Image: ROK Joint Chiefs of Staff

South Korea, the United States and Japan will conduct their annual Freedom Edge exercise next month to counter Pyongyang’s nuclear and missile threats, the ROK military announced Friday. 

Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement that the trilateral multi-domain exercise will run Sept. 7 to 11 in international waters southeast of Jeju Island

“The exercise is a drill defensive in nature conducted annually by South Korea, the U.S. and Japan to counter North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats and safeguard peace and stability in the region,” the JCS said

The announcement comes a week after President Donald Trump