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According to a report by the U.S. Air & Space Forces Magazine on the 21st, fighter jets from the United States and South Korea are conducting high-intensity flight activities in the "Ulchi Freedom Shield" exercise this week. The report said that this exercise is aimed at responding to "possible missile attacks by North Korea."

The report quoted a press release issued by the South Korean Air Force on the 20th, saying that the US and South Korean air forces will conduct continuous strikes for 120 hours day and night in this "Ulchi Freedom Shield" on the largest scale ever. Specifically, from August 19 to 23, "24-hour continuous actual flight training" will be carried out for five consecutive days. For the first time, the scale of participation of both sides has reached five flying wings, including the F-15K, FA-50 and KF-16 fighters of the 11th, 16th and 20th Fighter Wings of the South Korean Air Force, and the F-16 and A-10 of the 8th and 51st Fighter Wings of the US Air Force. More than 200 fighters of various types are planned to be deployed continuously for a total of 2,000 sorties in the five-day exercise. The exercise will also use a formation of virtual enemy aircraft (possibly referring to target aircraft) to simulate the air penetration of the opponent's high-speed aircraft and the launch of cruise missiles to enhance actual combat capabilities.

On August 19, an F-16C from the 80th Squadron of the 8th Fighter Wing of the U.S. Air Force participating in the exercise taxied after landing at the Kunsan Air Base of the U.S. Air Force in South Korea.

On August 20, an F-15K fighter jet of the 11th Fighter Wing of the South Korean Air Force participating in the exercise taxied on the ground before taking off.

The 51st Fighter Wing of the U.S. Air Force stated in a press release that U.S. fighter jets will conduct flight and combat exercises, including this one, to strengthen teamwork with the South Korean Air Force in "actual combat scenarios" to "counter weapons of mass destruction." The commander of the 8th Wing, Peter Kasarsky, said in a statement that these exercises will build a "more combat-ready force" that is better capable of responding to any challenges in the so-called "Indo-Pacific region."

The current "Ulchi Freedom Shield" exercise will last for 11 days, covering multiple areas including land, sea and air. 19,000 soldiers from the United States, South Korea and the so-called "United Nations Command" will participate in the training, which will include the potential scenario of responding to "North Korean attacks". Ryan Donald, a spokesman for the US Forces Korea, said at a press conference that the exercise will "reflect realistic threats in all areas", including "North Korea's missile threats", and will also include space-related elements such as "GPS interference" and "cyber attacks". The South Korean Ministry of Defense also stated in public reports that the "Ulchi Freedom Shield" exercise will include "responses to North Korea's nuclear threats". The report also mentioned that in last year's exercise, the US Air Force also dispatched a B-1B strategic bomber to train with fighter jets from the two countries' air forces, but it is still unclear whether this kind of US "strategic asset" will appear again in this year's exercise.

The U.S. Air Force B-1B strategic bomber and the South Korean KF-16 fighter jointly trained the South Korean Air Force

On the 18th before the exercise began, the Institute of American Studies of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of North Korea issued a statement on the website of the Korean Central News Agency, saying that the "aggressive large-scale joint military exercise conducted by the United States and South Korea despite strong opposition from both inside and outside the country" was "a confrontational move that further exacerbated regional military confrontation and contradictions." The North Korean statement also stated that the exercise included a drill for nuclear confrontation with North Korea, which shows that the provocative nature of the "Ulchi Freedom Shield" as a rehearsal for nuclear war is not so-called "defensive" or "transparent" at all, but "the most aggressive and provocative war of aggression exercise in the world." The statement said that North Korea will "continue to make major efforts to build a strong defense force to firmly safeguard its national sovereignty, security interests and territorial integrity, and to make the security environment of the Korean Peninsula and the region favorable."