South Korea kicked off large-scale summertime military exercises with the U.S. and unilateral government training on responding to North Korea crises on Monday, with President Yoon Suk-yeol using the start of the drills to call for vigilance against DPRK propaganda and continue political attacks on “anti-state forces” allegedly aligned with Pyongyang.

The two-week Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS) joint exercise will run alongside South Korea’s four-day Ulchi training this week, and in remarks at a cabinet meeting on Monday, Yoon emphasized the need to prepare for DPRK threats from not only the nuclear weapons but also so-called gray zone tactics like