The South Korean and US military announced on the 6th that they will conduct a routine joint military exercise called "Freedom Shield" from the 10th to the 20th. The purpose of this joint military exercise is to maintain containment amidst the ongoing political turmoil following the Trump administration taking office in the United States and the imposition of emergency martial law in South Korea. Although the South Korean government is eager to negotiate with the US government, the domestic chaos caused by the absence of the president has hindered progress. The joint military exercises between the United States and South Korea are held twice a year, in spring and summer respectively. During Trump's last term, the US government canceled the joint military exercises between the US and South Korea. Subsequently, taking the opportunity of the change of government between the two countries, the United States and South Korea resumed large-scale exercises, including field training, in 2022. The US South Korea alliance was strengthened during the Biden and Yoon Seok yeol administrations. South Korea has established a mechanism to participate in the US military's nuclear applications, and the US military has begun to frequently send nuclear powered aircraft carriers and submarines to South Korea. Not long ago, a US aircraft carrier visited Busan Port. Some people are concerned that Trump's re-election as president will weaken the US South Korea alliance. During his congressional speech on the evening of the 4th, Trump complained that although the United States "supports South Korea militarily," the average tariffs imposed by South Korea on the United States are four times higher than those imposed by the United States on South Korea. The South Korean government was forced to respond hastily. The South Korean Ministry of Planning and Finance announced on the 5th that it has "lifted tariffs on most American goods," refuting Trump's claims. The South Korean side explained that there is a free trade agreement between South Korea and the United States that came into effect in 2012, and the actual tariff rate imposed on US imports in 2024 is 0.79%. Due to the impeachment of Yoon Seok yeol, South Korea finds it difficult to respond to the US government transition in a top-down manner as usual. The South Korean presidential office had sought to hold talks between the two heads of state before Trump's inauguration in November 2024, but was unsuccessful, and diplomatic relations between the two heads of state were interrupted after December. The trial regarding the impeachment of Yin Xiyue has ended, and it is expected that the Constitutional Court will soon decide whether to dismiss him or dismiss the impeachment. If a decision is made to recall, the presidential vacancy will continue until the presidential election is held in May. According to a report by the Associated Press on March 7th, South Korean officials stated on March 7th that they have suspended training flights and all live fire exercises of their air force aircraft after they accidentally bombed civilian areas. This may cause a setback for the upcoming joint military exercises between South Korea and the United States. On the morning of the 6th, during a joint exercise between the South Korean and American armies at the Shengjin Training Ground in Bucheon City, Gyeonggi Province, two KF-16 fighter jets accidentally dropped 8 bombs on residential areas outside the shooting range, resulting in 29 injuries. This exercise is related to the larger scale joint military exercise "Freedom Shield" between the United States and South Korea. The accidental bombing incident has sparked strong public criticism in South Korea and cast a shadow over the "Freedom Shield" military exercise. Both the South Korean and US military have suspended all live fire exercises within South Korean territory. Military officials have stated that the "Freedom Shield" military exercise will proceed as scheduled, and they plan to resume live ammunition and flight training after identifying the exact cause of the accidental explosion and developing preventive measures. But observers say that if the military fails to resume normal training at the beginning of the "Shield of Freedom" exercise, it will affect the early stages of the exercise. According to a report by Yonhap News Agency on March 7th, the Korean Central News Agency issued a commentary criticizing the upcoming annual joint military exercise "Freedom Shield" between South Korea and the United States, stating that this move will further deteriorate the situation on the Korean Peninsula. The commentary stated that the "Freedom Shield" exercise violated North Korea's sovereignty and security interests, exacerbating regional tensions. The expansion of the scale of the field mobile exercise by South Korea and the United States is exacerbating the risk of war and leading to a dangerous situation. The commentary stated that North Korea has made it clear that "if the United States continues to break records in military demonstrations, North Korea can only break records in exercising strategic containment," and hostile countries will pay a painful price for their foolish and blind war exercises. (New Society)