U.S., South Korea, and Japan to hold military drills against North Korean nuclear threat

South Korea, Japan, and the United States will hold 'Freedom Edge' military drills from September 9 to 11 near Jeju Island to test readiness against North Korean missile and nuclear threats, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said, describing the exercises as defensive.

The drills follow President Trump's August 17 announcement that the U.S. would sharply reduce joint exercises with South Korea, which he attributed to his relationship with Kim Jong Un and Seoul's refusal to back U.S. pressure on Iran; South Korea later confirmed joint drills had been cut nearly in half. Days after that scale-back, North Korea fired roughly ten short-range ballistic missiles toward its eastern waters, prompting Seoul to raise surveillance readiness.

The Wall Street Journal has reported Trump is exploring a possible autumn meeting with Kim to revive denuclearization talks.

The full dispatch is available from the source below.