The servicemen of South Korea and the United States have started the Ulchi Freedom Shield joint military exercises, which will continue until August 31, Yonhap news agency reported.

Within the framework of this year’s Ulchi Freedom Shield, it is planned to carry out about 30 joint field exercises. There were 13 of them in the summer of last year, and 25 exercises were conducted during the Freedom Shield exercises this spring.

The representatives of the member countries of the UN Command—particularly Australia, the UK, Canada, Thailand, the Philippines, and France—also are expected to participate in the Ulchi Freedom Shield military exercise.

The South Korean ministry of defense stated earlier that within the framework conducting joint military exercises with the United States, South Korean servicemen will also increase their level of combat readiness in case of possible retaliatory actions by North Korea.