In a first, S. Korean general commands joint drills with US troops

South Korean soldiers participate in an anti-terror drill on the sidelines of the joint South Korea-US Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS) military exercises, at Seoul Metro headquarters Aug 24, 2022. - AFP

SEOUL (Reuters): For the first time a South Korean general is commanding annual joint drills with American forces, the US military said on Wednesday (Aug 24), a step toward Seoul's long-delayed goal of gaining command of allied forces in the event of a war.

The allies began on Monday their largest joint military drills in years, known as Ulchi Freedom Shield, with a resumption of field training, aiming to strengthen readiness for potential weapons tests by North Korea.