South Korea and US complete all postponed joint military drills by year-end

Diplomacy shaped the timeline, but determination sealed the deal. Discover how Seoul and Washington quietly finished their critical military training under pressure.

, and Administrator

2025 December 29 . 12:12 PM

1 min read

In the picture I can see these people are wearing army uniforms and standing here. Here we can see... — In the picture I can see these people are wearing army uniforms and standing here. Here we can see a stick. In the background, we can see a few more people who among few are standing on the blue color ground and few are sitting on the ground.

South Korea and US complete all postponed joint military drills by year-end

South Korea and the US have wrapped up all postponed joint military exercises from last summer’s Ulchi Freedom Shield manoeuvres. The drills, initially delayed in August 2025, were finalised by the end of the year. A total of 22 out of 40 planned field exercises were rescheduled and carried out successfully.

The decision to postpone some of the Allied field training exercises last August coincided with President Lee Jae Myung’s efforts to ease tensions with North Korea. His administration’s conciliatory approach may have influenced the timing of the drills.

Among the completed exercises were combined tactical airborne insertions, personnel recovery operations, and live-fire training. Equipment maintenance support drills were also conducted as part of the joint programme. Two specific exercises, including airport damage recovery drills, were handled exclusively by the Korean military.

By December, all remaining joint field training activities had been finished. The completion of these drills marked the conclusion of the rescheduled Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises for 2025.

The finalised drills included a mix of tactical, recovery, and live-fire training. Both nations confirmed the completion of all outstanding exercises by the year’s end. The rescheduling followed a period of diplomatic considerations between Seoul and Pyongyang.