South Korea and U.S. Announce Drills Against North Threats [Video]

South Korea and the United States are set to begin their annual joint military exercises next week, with an emphasis on improving their combined capabilities to deter and defend against growing North Korean nuclear threats, the allies said on Monday.

This year’s iteration of the Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise will run from Aug. 19-29, and comes amid heightened tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

The drills could trigger a response from the North: North Korea historically brands the exercises as rehearsals for invasion, and often uses them as justification for its continued development of nuclear weapons and missile systems.

Tensions on the Korean Peninsula remain high as North Korean leader Kim Jong Un continues to leverage the ongoing conflict in Ukraine as an opportunity to expedite his weapons programs, while issuing threats of nuclear strikes against the United States and South Korea.