South Korea, U.S. conclude joint drills amid rising tensions on Korean Peninsula

South Korea and the U.S. have concluded their 11-day joint military exercises aimed at bolstering their defense readiness against North Korea, local media reported on Thursday.

The annual Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS) exercise, which began on August 19, was based on an all-out war scenario, according to a statement from South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), as reported by Seoul-based Yonhap News.

"South Korea and the U.S. assessed that their capability and posture to overwhelmingly respond to any North Korean threat were reinforced through the UFS exercise and combined field training events," the JCS said.

The drill included a computer simulation-based command post exercise, concurrent field training, and civil defense drills.

The exercises involved approximately 19,000 South Korean troops and featured 48 field training events, such as amphibious landings and live-fire drills -- up from 38 such events conducted last year.

North Korea has long condemned these joint exercises as rehearsals for an invasion. However, Washington and Seoul have rejected the accusation, describing the drills as purely "defensive in nature."

Tensions on the Korean Peninsula have escalated further following the joint military exercises by the U.S. and South Korea, as well as recent North Korean missile launches.