The US, South Korea and Japan on Monday kicked off a key trilateral multi-domain military exercise in what is viewed as their continued efforts to deepen three-way security cooperation against "military threats" from North Korea, according to South Korean media.
The five-day Freedom Edge exercise is being held in international waters off South Korea's southern island of Jeju from September 15 to 19, the Yonhap news agency reported, citing Seoul's military.
"The Freedom Edge exercise is conducted through Friday to strengthen capabilities to deter and respond to North Korea's evolving nuclear and missile threats," Yang Seung-kwan, spokesperson for the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), told reporters.
The ongoing exercise is the third round of the trilateral drills, following previous rounds of the exercise conducted in June and November last year, respectively.
The latest round marks the first such exercise since US President Donald Trump and his South Korean counterpart Lee Jae Myung took office.
The exercise includes training aimed at sharpening ballistic missile defence capabilities, as well as air defence exercises, medical evacuation training and maritime interdiction operation training.
The Freedom Edge exercise coincides with Iron Mace tabletop military exercise between South Korea and the US, which is set to begin also from Monday through Friday.
The drill will focus on integrating Washington's nuclear assets and Seoul's conventional capabilities to deter North Korean threats.
North Korea has protested against joint drills among the three allies.
On Sunday, Kim Yo-jong, the influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, condemned the drills and warned the "reckless muscle-flexing" would bring unfavourable consequences.
North Korea asserts permanent nuclear status
On Monday, North Korea declared its nuclear weapons status is “permanently enshrined” in law and “irreversible,” following US criticism at a recent International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) session.
“Recently, at a meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency's Board of Governors, the US once again committed a grave political provocation by branding our possession of nuclear weapons as illegal and clamouring about denuclearisation,” said North Korea's permanent mission to the UN in a statement cited by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
"The position of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea as a nuclear weapons state, which has been permanently specified in the supreme and basic law of the state, has become irreversible," the mission added.
North Korea said that while Washington has slammed the North's possession of nuclear weapons as "illegal," it is the US that undermines the international nuclear non-proliferation system through its "radical" nuclear arms buildup.
It said last month that it could resume dialogue with Washington, but only if it is recognised as a permanent nuclear power.
Seoul seeks unlimited US swap
South Korea has proposed an “unlimited” currency swap with the US amid limited progress in ongoing trade talks, aiming to defend its currency following a tariff deal agreed in late July.
Under the framework deal, South Korea pledged to invest $350 billion in the US in exchange for Washington slashing its reciprocal tariffs on South Korea from 25 percent to 15 percent.
South Korea has raised concerns that a massive dollar outflow could trigger a sharp rise in the won-dollar exchange rate.
In a related move, South Korean Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo is departing for the US on Monday to hold follow-up negotiations on the trade deal.
The two countries have previously signed swap arrangements only twice, during the 2008 global financial crisis and the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic.
