JOINT ULCHI FREEDOM SHIELD EXERCISE

[Anchor Lead]

South Korea and the US have kicked off crisis management drills in the run up to the joint Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise which begins next week. This year's UFS, combined with Seoul's Ulchi drill, will resume field maneuvers and is designed to boost state response capabilities in the event of a crisis.

[Pkg]

South Korea and the US hold combined drills each year to maintain joint defense readiness. The two sides have begun a crisis management exercise leading up to next week's full-scale training. In the event of a North Korean provocation, the allies practice how to jointly respond in the initial stage and manage the crisis thereafter. This year, the previously named Command Post Exercise has been newly dubbed Ulchi Freedom Shield.

[Soundbite] Kim Jun-rak(Joint Chiefs of Staff) : "A new name ‘UFS’ and the combination of gov’t and military drills will help boost state response capabilities."

The military explained the previous name did not accurately represent the nature of a large scale joint theater level drill. The main portion of the UFS begins next Monday. The drill is divided into two stages. The first assumes the scenario of a North Korean attack where the allies defend the South Korean capital and transition to a wartime mode. The second will focus on counteroffensive operations to ensure the safety of the capital area. Actual drills will also take place assuming contingency situations involving key infrastructure, such as an airport terror attack, drone attack or an explosive found at a nuclear power plant. Outdoor field maneuvers will also resume after being scaled back in past years. Military branches will carry out 13 types of field training. This year's exercise will also assess and test full operational capability known as FOC, to ensure the condition toward a transfer of wartime operational control. North Korea has long accused the drills as the allies gearing up to invade the North. It's possible the regime may stage a military provocation in protest of the joint exercise.