Ulchi Freedom Shield

North Korea has called the drills a “war of aggression exercise,” underlining the need to enhance deterrence capacity

The draconian travel ban prevents as many as 100,000 Koreans in the United States from visiting family members in North Korea. It is another weapon of war, part of the broader US strategy to further isolate North Korea and inflame tensions between both halves of the peninsula

The military exercises point towards a more aggressive US presence in the Pacific and increasing encirclement of China