Nov 23, 2025 – South Korean Unification Minister Lee Jae‑yeong reiterates that reunification remains Seoul’s ultimate goal, pledging a peaceful, gradual approach and warning of accidental border clashes [12].

Nov 24, 2025 – North Korea passes an urban development law to improve housing, infrastructure and public services, signaling a domestic push for urbanization amid heightened security tensions [12].

Nov 26, 2025 – Unification Minister Lee stresses a peaceful, gradual policy toward the North, urging dialogue, confidence‑building measures and steps to prevent accidental clashes [12].

Nov 27, 2025 – Kim Jong‑un inspects a new greenhouse farm in Sinuiju, showcasing the regime’s focus on agricultural self‑sufficiency near the Chinese border [12].

Nov 28, 2025 – North Korea’s foreign ministry claims the upcoming South Korea‑U.S. joint drills are meant to deter the North, while U.S. Forces Korea labels the exercises strictly defensive and announces Silent Shark anti‑submarine drills and forward‑deployed F‑16s [12][13]; satellite imagery shows continued modernization of the Yongbyon nuclear complex, underscoring Pyongyang’s expanding weapons capability [13].

Dec 7, 2025 – National Security Adviser Wi Sung‑lac states Seoul will not use the joint drills as a bargaining chip to restart inter‑Korean talks, even as President Lee Jae Myung says a stable peace regime would eventually reduce large‑scale exercises [10][11].

Dec 8, 2025 – The Unification Ministry says any future adjustment of the Korea‑U.S. drills will be discussed only if specific conditions and a suitable environment arise, reflecting internal debate over diplomatic leverage [9].

Dec 10, 2025 – Unification Minister Chung Dong‑young keeps the option to adjust or postpone the combined drills open, arguing the exercises are a tool for peace and citing past suspensions of Team Spirit in 1992, 1994 and a 2018 delay as precedents [7].

Dec 11, 2025 – Chung reiterates the same stance and points to President Donald Trump’s expected April visit to China as a possible catalyst for a meeting between Trump and Kim Jong‑un that could revive negotiations [6].

Dec 12, 2025 – South Korea’s National Security Adviser confirms the government will not leverage the drills, while Seoul and Washington plan to launch regular consultative meetings on North‑Korea policy as early as the following week, aiming to coordinate and explore re‑engagement [5].

Dec 15, 2025 – U.S. Forces Korea commander Gen. Xavier Brunson stresses that the joint drills are the cornerstone of readiness and deterrence, warns against unilateral changes, and notes past drill suspensions did not compel North Korea to negotiate; acting U.S. ambassador Kevin Kim echoes the same position [8].

Dec 29, 2025 – The Joint Chiefs report that 22 of roughly 40 postponed field drills are completed by year‑end, including airborne insertion and live‑fire exercises, while two airport‑damage drills are conducted solely by South Korea; the staggered schedule is framed as a readiness benefit and speculated to be a conciliatory gesture toward inter‑Korean ties [4].

Jan 7, 2026 – Defense Minister Ahn Gyu‑back affirms the annual South Korea‑U.S. drills will proceed as planned, calling them a “lifeline for soldiers,” while outlining a roadmap that includes a possible readjustment if U.S.–North Korea talks advance, a target to field a nuclear‑powered submarine by the mid‑2030s, and a goal to transfer wartime operational control to Seoul by 2030 [3].

Jan 20, 2026 – A coalition of 357 progressive civic and religious groups and 13 lawmakers, led by Rep. Lee In‑young, urges the suspension of the regular South Korea‑U.S. exercises and a halt to border hostilities, invoking the 2018 inter‑Korean tensions‑reduction pact as a framework for redefining air, sea and land buffer zones [2].

Feb 22, 2026 – South Korea and the United States delay announcing the spring Freedom Shield drill date after the U.S. objects to Seoul’s proposal to scale back on‑field training; the joint press briefing is cancelled, but both sides plan to set a new announcement date later in February or early March and confirm that the March exercise will proceed normally, focusing on transferring wartime operational control to South Korean forces [1].

Mar 2026 (planned) – The Freedom Shield exercise is scheduled for March, with the exact dates to be announced later in February or early March, and the drill will emphasize the transfer of wartime operational control to South Korean forces [1].

2030 (target) – South Korea aims to complete the conditions‑based transfer of wartime operational control from the United States to Seoul within President Lee Jae Myung’s term, slated to end in 2030 [3].

Mid‑2030s (target) – South Korea plans to field its first nuclear‑powered submarine, pending successful negotiations with the United States for nuclear fuel access within about two years [3].