South Korea, Japan and the United States conducted joint naval missile defense exercises on Monday, the South Korean navy was quoted by Korean news agency, Yonhap. Conducted in international waters between South Korea and Japan, the exercises brought together three destroyers equipped with the “Aegis” system, namely the South Korean Navy’s “ROKS Yulgok Yi I”, the American USS Benfold and the “JS Atago” of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Forces.
The objective of these exercises is to practice procedures for detecting and tracking a computer-simulated ballistic missile target. The maneuvers provide “an opportunity to strengthen trilateral security cooperation in the face of escalating nuclear and missile threats from North Korea”, Captain Kim Ki-young of the South Korean destroyer said in a statement. communicated.
The last tripartite missile defense exercise organized by the three countries dates back to last February.
Also on Monday, South Korea and Japan resumed the “Two plus Two” talks between senior diplomatic and security officials in Seoul after a five-year hiatus. Last Friday, North Korea confirmed that it had carried out a test firing of a new type of solid-fueled intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). This shot triggered a brief alert on the island of Hokkaido, in northern Japan, before the Japanese government confirmed that the projectile had not fallen on its territory.
The tension between North Korea, South Korea and the United States is currently at its highest. Pyongyang has stepped up weapons testing in recent months and declared its status as a nuclear power “irreversible”, closing the door to any negotiations on its disarmament.
Seoul and Washington have, for their part, strengthened their military cooperation and conducted vast joint maneuvers in the region.
Source: Maroc Diplomatique
