South Korea and the United States had planned to jointly announce the 'Freedom Shield' exercise schedule for the first half of the year but postponed the briefing due to disagreements about reducing outdoor maneuver training. The announcement was expected on the 25th of March, but military officials indicated that conversations regarding outdoor maneuvers had not concluded. While South Korea advocated for a reduction in these drills, the U.S. opposed this proposal, arguing that equipment and troops had already been deployed from the mainland, making a reduction unfeasible.

The 'Freedom Shield' exercise is a large-scale defensive exercise simulating a full-scale war on the Korean Peninsula, traditionally held twice a year in March and August. The March drills involve both outdoor maneuvers and command post exercises (CPX). In contrast, August drills focus mainly on CPX without outdoor maneuvers. North Korea has consistently criticized the 'Freedom Shield' exercises, labeling them as 'invasion drills,' particularly reacting strongly against outdoor maneuvers such as landing exercises. Despite this, the Yoon Suk-yeol administration has pushed forward with strengthening the South Korea-US alliance, consolidating various outdoor maneuvers into a single training period.

With the recent shift to the Lee Jae-myung administration, aimed at easing military tensions between North and South Korea, the military has adopted a new plan to disperse the previously concentrated outdoor maneuvers throughout the year. Consequently, many of the outdoor drills previously planned for August have been divided across the year. Ahead of anticipated high-level talks between the U.S. and China in early April, efforts are underway to scale back these maneuvers to maintain stable conditions on the Korean Peninsula. Furthermore, the delay of the joint briefing has raised concerns about escalating tensions between South Korea and the U.S., particularly in light of recent military encounters over the West Sea.