Ulchi-Freedom Guardian
(을지 프리덤 가디언, Eulji peurideom gadieon) is the name () of the military exercise previously known as Ulchi-Focus Lens,
a combined military exercise between
South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...
and the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
. The exercise is the world's largest computerized command and control implementation, involving 50,000 South Korean troops alongside 17,500 U.S. troops in 2017,
and mainly focuses on defending South Korea from a
North Korea
North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders China and Russia to the north at the Yalu River, Yalu (Amnok) an ...
n attack. The exercise was initiated in 1976 and is conducted annually during August or September. The word 'Ulchi' comes from the name of a famous Korean general called
Ŭlchi Mundŏk
Ŭlchi Mundŏk () was a military leader of early 7th century Goguryeo, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, who successfully defended Goguryeo against Sui China. He is famous for his victory at Salsu, and is often numbered among the greatest her ...
, who was the Commander-In-Chief of the army of
Goguryeo
Goguryeo (37 BC – 668 AD) (; ; Old Korean: Guryeo) also later known as Goryeo (; ; Middle Korean: 고ᇢ롕〮, ''kwòwlyéy''), was a Korean kingdom which was located on the northern and central parts of the Korea, Korean Peninsula an ...
.
History
The origin of the exercise is Taeguk Yeonseup (태극연습, Taeguk Exercise), which began after the
Blue House Raid by North Korean special forces in 1968. The title of the exercise was changed to Ulchi Yeonseup (을지연습, Ulchi Exercise) in the following year. In 1976, it was integrated with
ROK-US Combined Forces Command
ROK/US Combined Forces Command (CFC) is a joint warfighting headquarters comprising the Republic of Korea Armed Forces and United States Forces Korea. It was established in 1978. During wartime it would serve as the operational command headquart ...
's military training, Focus Lens, into Ulchi-Focus Lens.
The name of the exercise was changed again in 2008 to Ulchi-Freedom Guardian.
The exercise has on occasion included contingents from Australia, Britain, Canada, Colombia, Denmark, the Netherlands and New Zealand.
In 2022, thousands of protesters demonstrated against the drills in South Korea.
Reaction of North Korea
North Korea routinely denounces the exercise as preparation for war.
On 20 August 2012, the exercise began between South Korea and the United States over the objections of North Korea. North Korea alleged that the drill was a precursor to a war planned against them.
The North Korean foreign ministry stated that "the prevailing situation requires us to bolster up the war deterrent physically and goes to prove that it was entirely just when we determined to fully reexamine the nuclear issue."
The
United States Department of State
The United States Department of State (DOS), or simply the State Department, is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy of the United State ...
countered, saying that North Korea must refrain from "bellicose statements."
General
James D. Thurman, added on, stating that Ulchi Freedom Guardian is "a key exercise in strengthening the readiness of Republic of Korea and U.S. forces."
The 2017 exercise took place August 21–31,
during
a crisis over successful
North Korean missile tests
North Korea has tested numerous missiles since 1984. North Korea has tested short-range ballistic missile (SRBMs), intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBMs), intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), maneuverable reentry vehicles (MaRV) ba ...
and strong rhetoric by U.S.
President Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the 45th president from 2017 to 2021.
...
.
The U.S. manpower contribution for the exercise was reduced from 25,000 in 2016 to 17,500.
South Korean media reported that the U.S. had cancelled plans to deploy strategic assets in the exercise, such as aircraft carriers, nuclear-powered submarines or a
B1 bomber.
U.S. Forces Korea did not comment on the reason.
In 2018, the South Korean government cancelled that year's exercise. However, joint US-South Korean military exercises resumed again on November 5, 2018, though on a small scale compared to previous exercises.
A
buffer zone
A buffer zone, also historically known as a march, is a neutral area that lies between two or more bodies of land; usually, between countries. Depending on the type of buffer zone, it may serve to separate regions or conjoin them.
Common types o ...
had been established across the
Korean Demilitarized Zone
The Korean Demilitarized Zone () is a heavily militarized strip of land running across the Korea, Korean Peninsula near the 38th parallel north. The demilitarized zone (DMZ) is a border barrier that divides the peninsula roughly in half. It wa ...
on November 1, 2018 to prohibit both Koreas from conducting live-fire artillery drills and regiment-level field maneuvering exercises or those by bigger units within 5 kilometers of the Military Demarcation Line (MDL).
No fly zones was also established along the DMZ to ban the operation of drones, helicopters and other aircraft from coming within 10 to 40 km away from the MDL.
In August 2019, a similar but scaled down exercise under an undisclosed name was carried out, mainly using computer simulations. The main scenario was South Korea taking over from the U.S. 90 days after the outbreak of a war to carry out stabilization operations after North Korea has been neutralised.
For the first time a South Korean General led the exercise.
North Korea complained that the exercise violated U.S. President
Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...
's promise to halt major war games.
See also
* Ulchi-Focus Lens: joint military exercise between
South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...
and the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
(1976-2008)
* Ulchi-Freedom Guardian: joint exercise between
South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...
and the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
(2009-2017),
(2018 temporarily canceled)
*
Foal Eagle: joint military exercise between
South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...
and the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
(1997-2014)
*
Max Thunder: joint military exercise between
South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...
and the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
(2015-2018)
References
{{Reflist, 30em
Military of South Korea
United States Army exercises
Military exercises involving the United States