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Chinook and Apache helicopters stand on standby at Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, on the 21st, when the Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS) exercise—a regular South Korea-U.S. joint military drill designed to defend the Korean Peninsula in contingencies—ends early. The UFS exercise, which began on the 17th, was originally scheduled to run through the 27th, but its duration was significantly reduced from 11 days to five days following directives from U.S. President Donald Trump to scale back the drill. 2026.8.21 xanadu@yna.co.kr / 2026-08-21 13:59:39 /

Regarding the U.S. position on North Korean denuclearization, North Korea distanced itself from bilateral dialogue on the 31st, stating, "There is not the slightest change in our policy toward the U.S. to counter the unchanging hostile policy of the U.S. with the toughest stance until the very end."

In a statement released that day, a spokesperson for the North Korean Foreign Ministry emphasized, "The Trump administration has fully reaffirmed its hostile policy to seriously infringe upon the sovereignty, political system, and security interests of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea through the 'denuclearization' racket, human rights plot maneuvers, and military threats."

Citing recent remarks by a U.S. State Department spokesperson reaffirming commitment to "the complete denuclearization of North Korea" and pointing to the South Korea-U.S.-Japan joint exercise "Freedom Edge 2026" scheduled to take place as planned from the 7th to the 11th of next month, the Foreign Ministry spokesperson claimed that "U.S. hostility toward the DPRK heats up the tense situation on the Korean Peninsula to a more dangerous level."

Furthermore, claiming that South Korea and Japan are pursuing arms buildups and rearmament, the spokesperson stressed, "The current status of the DPRK will not be weakened or diluted by the repeated statements of the U.S. on denuclearization." Analysts suggest North Korea is using U.S. hostile policy and military buildup by South Korea and Japan as justifications for bolstering its own nuclear capabilities.

This statement by the North Korean Foreign Ministry is interpreted as intending to reiterate its established position that the denuclearization agenda is utterly unacceptable while once again demanding the withdrawal of U.S. hostile policy. In particular, it is also seen as a demand to halt upcoming South Korea-U.S. joint military drills.

                                                                                                            Mok Yong-jae