Monitoring North Korea and the U.S.-ROK alliance requires knowledge of a variety of acronyms and abbreviations that often sound similar and confusing, especially due to militaries and governments’ penchant for shortening terms that are repeatedly used in statements and internal communiques.

This list of terms has become even more daunting for unfamiliar eyes in recent years with the creation of new policy platforms in light of shifting geopolitical dynamics, and seasonal or administrative changes and updates to similar military exercises or working group names.