Anchor: President Yoon Suk Yeol stressed the importance of defending the nation through strong military force during the opening day of the annual Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises with the U.S. He also urged thorough preparedness against North Korean provocations and emphasized showcasing the strength of the South Korea-U.S. alliance. 
Our Yun Sohyang has more. 

Report: South Korea and the United States kicked off their regular combined military exercises on Monday to enhance their joint defense posture against North Korea's advancing nuclear and missile threats.

According to the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff(JCS), the Ulchi Freedom Shield(UFS) training will be held from Monday through August 29th with increased field training.

The JCS said the combined drills will focus on responses to the North's weapons of mass destruction, and utilize various assets in all domains to strengthen the allies' joint defense readiness and response capabilities.

The South Korean military will also participate in the government's Ulchi civil defense drill, which will be held between Monday and Thursday, to enhance war readiness by department.

Presiding over a National Security Council(NSC) meeting on the occasion of the UFS exercises, President Yoon Suk Yeol called to firmly defend the nation's freedom and prosperity not by words, but with strong force.

The president ordered to secure a readiness posture and response capability, emphasizing that the North Korean regime, while seeking to advance its nuclear and missile capabilities, is threatening South Korea's national security by continuing anti-Seoul propaganda and floating trash balloons across the border.

On Sunday, the North Korean foreign ministry's Institute for American Studies issued a statement, denouncing the UFS exercises as "war drills for aggression," warning that the regime will maintain the balance of power for preventing war by stockpiling the greatest deterrence.

In the statement carried through the state-run Korean Central News Agency(KCNA), the institute said the more frequently the U.S. and its vassal countries commit collective military provocations, the stronger the deterrence of justice for neutralizing the threat will become.
Yun Sohyang, KBS World Radio News.