Defence chiefs from South Korea, Japan, and the United States have agreed to proceed with a real-time data sharing scheme on North Korean missiles in December, according to South Korea’s defence ministry. U.S. Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin, along with his South Korean counterpart Shin Won-sik, met in Seoul, with Japanese defence minister Minoru Kihara joining the meeting online. The ministers discussed enhancing their three-way cooperation in response to “severe security environments”. This marked the first gathering of the three ministers. Kihara stated, “We confirmed that we are steadily making adjustments, bringing the process to the final stage.”
During an August 18 summit, U.S. President Joe Biden, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida agreed that by the end of this year, the three countries would share real-time North Korea missile warning data. The ministers also expressed their condemnation of the growing military cooperation between North Korea and Russia, considering it a violation of U.N. resolutions. They also emphasized the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.
In a separate meeting, General Charles Q. Brown, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, held talks with his South Korean counterpart in Seoul. This was General Brown’s first visit to South Korea since assuming office in October. The discussions focused on the continuous provocations by North Korea, including missile launches. The United States reaffirmed its commitment to the defense of South Korea.
The article was reported by Tetsushi Kajimoto in Tokyo and Ju-min Park in Seoul, with editing by Miral Fahmy. The Thomson RushHourDaily Trust Principles apply.
