A U.S. Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon takes off from Gwangju Air Base, South Korea, April 18, 2025, during the Freedom Flag exercise. (Trevares Johnson/Stars and Stripes)
CAMP HUMPHREYS, South Korea — Large-scale drills between the United States and South Korean air forces will be shortened ahead of an economic summit on the peninsula next week, South Korea’s Ministry of national Defense said Friday.
The Freedom Flag exercise, originally planned for two weeks starting Monday, will now run for one week, a ministry spokesman told Stars and Stripes by text message.
South Korea’s air force will delay joining the drills to maintain full readiness during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, or APEC, summit scheduled for Oct. 29-Nov. 1 in the southeastern city of Gyeongju, the spokesman said.
“The first week will be a U.S.-only exercise and the second week will be conducted jointly,” he said. South Korean government officials typically speak to the media without identifying themselves.
The spokesman said both air forces will work to meet Freedom Flag’s goal of enhancing their capabilities. Participating forces will be similar to those in previous iterations of the exercise.
The U.S. 7th Air Force at Osan Air Base did not immediately respond to phone calls or emails Friday.
Freedom Flag was held in October and November last year. Another iteration took place in the spring at Kunsan Air Base and included F-16 Fighting Falcon fighters and 8th Fighter Wing personnel.
The drills are designed to provide complex, scalable training opportunities to air and joint commanders in the Indo-Pacific region, 7th Air Forces said in an October 2024 news release.
Last year’s iteration featured complex flying scenarios, including offensive and defensive counter-air, air-interdiction, close air support, combat search and rescue, airdrops, and aerial medical evacuation missions, according to the release.
