South Korea and the United States will hold their annual large-scale military exercise, Ulchi Freedom Shield, from August 18 to 28. The drills aim to strengthen readiness against North Korean threats and will involve about 18,000 South Korean troops, with the number of United States participants undisclosed. The exercise, which includes computer-simulated command post training and combined field operations, comes amid stalled diplomatic efforts with North Korea and heightened tensions over its nuclear ambitions. This year's drills will also incorporate lessons from recent global conflicts and address emerging threats such as drones, GPS jamming, and cyberattacks. Despite speculation, officials stated the scale of the exercise remains similar to previous years, though some training programs were postponed due to heat concerns.