The U.S. and South Korea conducted the Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS) joint military exercises in August, their first large-scale field training since 2018.

The DPRK fired two cruise missiles ahead of the drills, but didn’t react in any major way. Pyongyang has yet to conduct its widely anticipated seventh nuclear test, with Washington and Seoul confirming in August that the allies will deploy strategic assets to the peninsula if it does.

Meanwhile, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol elaborated on his “audacious plan” to offer North Korea economic assistance in return for denuclearization.