S. Korea, U.S., Japan to hold trilateral Freedom Edge exercise this month
South Korea, the United States and Japan will hold their trilateral multi-domain Freedom Edge exercise this month, the South's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said Friday, in their continued efforts to deepen security cooperation against North Korea's military threats, Yonhap reports.
The five-day exercise will take place in international waters east and south of South Korea's southern island of Jeju from Sept. 15-19, the JCS said.
"The three countries will bolster their multi-domain operational capabilities in areas including the sea, air and cyberspace and enhance their interoperability to maintain a solid and stable trilateral cooperation," the JCS said in a statement.
The upcoming exercise will mark the third round of the trilateral drills, following two rounds of the exercise conducted in June and November last year, respectively.
It is the first such exercise to be held since President Lee Jae Myung and U.S. President Donald Trump took office.
The JCS said the exercise will span across an array of areas, including air defense, anti-submarine warfare, anti-piracy and defensive cyber training activities.
"The drills will take place on a similar scope compared with last year," a JCS official said, adding that the duration of the exercise has been extended to five days compared with last year's three-day period, as it is held once a year starting this year, compared with two rounds last year.
North Korea has protested against joint drills among the three nations, warning of military action against the previous Freedom Edge drills that have involved U.S. nuclear-powered aircraft carriers.
Following the inaugural exercise in June last year, the North criticized the drills as an attempt to strengthen a U.S.-led military bloc.
The JCS stressed the upcoming exercise is part of their regular drills.
"The drills are an annual exercise aimed at responding to North Korea's nuclear and missile threats and guarding regional peace and stability while adhering to international law and regulations," it said.
The exercise takes its name from key bilateral exercises the U.S. holds with the Asian neighbors -- Freedom Shield with South Korea and Keen Edge with Japan.
Earlier South Korea outlined a plan to help the biohealth industry double its exports by 2030 and join the world's top five.