U.S.-Japan-South Korea Drill Tests Response to North Korea Threat
A new trilateral military exercise involving the United States, Japan and South Korea is set to put North Korea’s nuclear and missile capabilities back at the center of regional security discussions. The exercise, known as Freedom Edge , is scheduled for September 9–11 in international waters south and east of South Korea’s Jeju Island, according to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff and reporting by ( Reuters .) The planned drill comes at an unusually complicated moment. North Korea has continued missile activity despite recent U.S. efforts to reduce the scale of military exercises with South Korea, while Washington is also pursuing renewed engagement with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. That combination—military preparedness alongside diplomatic outreach—has created uncertainty over how the United States intends to balance deterrence and negotiations. The latest development is therefore more than another routine military exercise. It is a test of whether Washington, Seoul and Tokyo...