North Korea Protests South Korea-US-Japan 'Freedom Edge' Drill... Expert: "Toning Down Criticism of the US"

"Strong and Reciprocal Countermeasures"

North Korea criticized the South Korea-U.S.-Japan regular multi-domain exercise "Freedom Edge" and warned of a military response. While this is a continuation of previous responses, experts have noted that, unlike last year, the statement was issued not by Kim Yo-jong, Vice Department Director of the Workers’ Party, but in the name of Defense Minister Kim Song-gi. This is interpreted as an attempt to adjust the level of criticism toward the United States.

An F-35C is landing on the USS George Washington, a U.S. aircraft carrier, during the 24-2 Freedom Edge trilateral multi-domain exercise between South Korea, the United States, and Japan in the southern waters off Jeju. Photo taken on November 14, 2024. Photo by The Asia Business Daily

On the evening of September 7, North Korean Defense Minister Kim Song-gi issued a statement through the Korean Central News Agency, claiming, "The United States, Japan, and South Korea are once again conducting the provocative trilateral multi-domain joint military exercise 'Freedom Edge' under the pretext of responding to what they call North Korea's 'nuclear and missile threats.'"

He further criticized, "As the trilateral military cooperation system among the United States, Japan, and South Korea is evolving into a dangerous offensive entity with nuclear elements, the U.S.-led displays of war are being conducted continuously without any gaps in time or space. This reality is pushing the instability of the Korean Peninsula and the surrounding region to the brink, posing a grave security threat."

Minister Kim warned, "If the United States and its allies attempt new military confrontations with us, we, too, will take a strong and reflexive countermeasure based on the position of strength." He added, "If necessary, we will demonstrate our will and capability to respond to the enemy's provocations with even stronger and more resolute actions."

In this statement, North Korea not only mentioned the Freedom Edge exercise but also referred to the U.S.-Japan-Australia "Orient Shield" joint drill, the U.S. military's deployment of the "Typhon" intermediate-range missile system in Japan, and ongoing efforts to deploy the U.S. Army’s Multi-Domain Task Force in South Korea by the end of the year.

This was also the first statement issued by Defense Minister Kim Song-gi since his appointment at the end of last month, succeeding No Kwang-chol. On August 29, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un dismissed No Kwang-chol from the position of defense minister at the 2nd meeting of the 9th Central Military Commission of the Workers’ Party of Korea and appointed Kim Song-gi, then Director of the General Political Bureau of the Korean People’s Army, as the new defense minister.

Last year, during the Freedom Edge exercise, statements were issued by Kim Yo-jong and Park Jeong-cheon, Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission. This year, however, the statement was issued solely by Defense Minister Kim Song-gi.

Joh Han-bum, Senior Research Fellow at the Korea Institute for National Unification, evaluated this statement as a continuation of North Korea's opposition to the joint exercises, while also analyzing that North Korea is managing its messages toward the United States at a time when the possibility of dialogue between North Korea and the U.S. is being discussed. He noted, "If the criticisms continued, it could derail the potential for North Korea-U.S. dialogue, so North Korea appears to have lowered the intensity of its response out of caution."

From the previous day until September 11, South Korea, the United States, and Japan are conducting the Freedom Edge exercise in the eastern and southern international waters off Jeju. This regular drill aims to strengthen deterrence and joint response capabilities against North Korea's nuclear and missile threats across various domains, including maritime, air, and cyber.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.