The U.S. and South Korea have wrapped up some of their largest military exercises, centered around defending against threats from North Korea.
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00:00U.S. and South Korean soldiers looking for weapons of mass destruction, with a little
00:06help from men's latest best friend.
00:09For the past 11 days, armies from both countries have been conducting the annual Freedom Shield
00:15exercises in South Korea, which are centered on defending against a common enemy.
00:21Neighboring North Korea has been improving its weapons program with at least five missile
00:25tests already this year.
00:28It's this kind of aggression that makes these exercises critical to the U.S.-Korea alliance.
00:33Something as simple as building a bridge helps foster ties.
00:36I think this is the best way to strengthen the U.S. alliance.
00:39If you look behind us, the bridge that was just constructed took the sheer effort of
00:43both U.S. and ROK soldiers.
00:46Two soldiers who, although they don't speak a common language, can come out here and complete
00:50a common task.
00:52I absolutely believe it is the symbol of the U.S.-ROK alliance.
00:57Meanwhile in Europe, fresh waves of North Korean soldiers are making their way onto
01:01the battlefields of Ukraine, with some Russian units now mostly made of non-Russian troops.
01:07This is raising concern with U.S. allies, as Pyongyang and Moscow could form closer
01:11security ties and change the balance of power in Asia.
01:15You know, this has strategic implications not only from the standpoint of Russia helping
01:20advance North Korea's military technology, but also by kind of reducing potentially North
01:26Korean reliance on China, which has significant impacts for regional power dynamics.
01:31That's why the U.S. and South Korea are taking advantage of the Freedom Shield drills to
01:35step up cooperation and practice realistic scenarios, like fighting side by side in big
01:40cities.
01:41It's, you know, ensuring that our joint plans to respond to contingencies are actually being,
01:48you know, put into practice, but also from a deterrence signaling standpoint, kind of,
01:54you know, showing potential adversaries that, you know, the U.S.-Korea alliance remains
02:00active, it remains strong, and prepared to respond to any acts of aggression.
02:07North Korea has continued to denounce these exercises, saying they are dangerous and provocative.
02:12But for the U.S. and South Korea, it's a reminder of their strong alliance, held for over 70
02:18years.
02:19Devin Tsai, Zelan Shata, and Jaime Okon for Taiwan Plus.