South Korea and the United States will conduct major joint military drills starting on August 18, officials said, although they will delay parts of the annual exercises that have been a source of tension with North Korea to later in the year, Reuters reported.

The 11-day annual exercises, called Ulchi Freedom Shield, will be on a similar scale to 2024 but adjusted by rescheduling 20 out of 40 field training events to September, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff spokesperson Lee Sung-jun said.

The allies agreed to reschedule some parts of the drill to next month over factors "including ensuring training conditions during extreme heat and maintaining a balanced combined defence posture year-round," Lee said at a briefing, according to Reuters.