Xavier Brunson

The Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) is a 248 km buffer zone separating North and South Korea and is one of the world’s most heavily fortified borders

But this year's Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise, one of the two main drills conducted by the allies annually, could be disrupted after U.S. President Donald Trump ordered his Pentagon chief to “substantially” scale it back just before its start Monday

Ryan Donald, public affairs director of the United Nations Command (UNC), Combined Forces Command (CFC), and United States Forces Korea (USFK) bump fists during the press briefing for the Ulchi Freedom Shield 2025 exercise at the Defense Ministry on August 07, 2025 in Seoul, South Korea

It's a lasting reminder that the 1950-53 Korean War ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty, leaving the countries technically still at war

Korea showed uneasiness about remarks by the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) commander describing the country as a “dagger” in Asia — controversial wording that highlighted its strategic role in U.S. deterrence against China without reflecting Korea’s own strategic choices on regional security

It comes as Washington seeks to expand the scope of its South Korea-based command for a greater presence across the Indo-Pacific in what Beijing views as an effort to contain it

Middle East crisis: Iran accuses US of violating international law over seizure of vessel in Gulf of Oman

The war has now entered its seventh week, despite earlier expectations that it could last between four and six weeks

N.Korea Tests Tactical Nuke Launchers With U.S. Air Defense Assets on the Move

North Korea has long described the allies ’ joint exercises as invasion rehearsals and used them as a pretext to dial up its own military demonstrations and weapons testing activity

The chief of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command has called for Korea and the United States to continue to strengthen their combined defense posture in the new year to send a "clear message" to adversaries on the cost of aggression

This leaves the Chinese-US conflict over Taiwan the more pressing problem in international affairs

South Korean National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac explains President Lee Jae-myung's plan to visit China during a press briefing held at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul on January 2, 2026