SEOUL, April 17, 2025 (BSS/TASS) - The United States and South Korea have kicked off the Freedom Flag joint air exercise that will involve about 90 aircraft from both sides, the Yonhap news agency reports.

The drills, set to last until May 2, will also involve 1,100 troops. The assets mobilized for the exercise include South Korea's F-35A, F-15K and KF-16 fighter jets, and the United States' F-16 and F-35 B fighters and MQ-1 and MQ-9 drones.

According to the news agency, "troops will take part in key air operations training programs, such as air interdiction, defensive counter air, combat search and rescue and close air support exercises." For the first time, stealth fighter jets, such as the F-35, will take on the role of enemy forces, Yonhap notes.

The goal of the drills is for the parties "to bolster their interoperability and combined readiness posture" against alleged threats from North Korea.

Earlier, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) released a statement by a North Korean Defense Ministry spokesperson who slammed the April 15 drill, which involved a US B-1B strategic bomber, as an act of provocation. Pyongyang stressed that it would not tolerate "the slightest security threat" from the US.

The Freedom Flag exercise was launched last year to replace the Korea Flying Training and Vigilant Defense drills, which had been held in the first and the second half of the year, respectively.