South Korea, U.S., and Japan Defense Ministers Agree to Conduct 'Systematic Trilateral Exercises' Starting Next Year

South Korea, the United States, and Japan have agreed to establish a 'multi-year trilateral training plan' within this year and to conduct more systematic and efficient trilateral training starting next year.

Defense Minister Shin Won-sik is holding a trilateral defense ministers' meeting with U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Japanese Defense Minister Kihara Minoru at the Ministry of National Defense building in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, on the 12th. The Japanese Defense Minister participated in the meeting via video conference from Tokyo.
[Photo by Ministry of National Defense]

On the 12th, Defense Minister Shin Won-sik of South Korea, U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, and Japanese Defense Minister Kihara Minoru held a trilateral defense ministers' meeting via video conference, discussing joint response measures to North Korea's nuclear and missile threats and agreeing on these matters. Secretary Austin, who arrived in Seoul the day before, attended the meeting at the Yongsan Ministry of National Defense building together with Minister Shin, while Minister Kihara participated remotely from Tokyo. The meeting lasted about an hour.

The three ministers first evaluated that preparations for the operation of a real-time missile warning information sharing system to enhance detection and assessment capabilities against North Korean missiles are in the final stages, and agreed to activate the system next month. This follows the agreement on real-time sharing of North Korean missile warning information reached at the trilateral summit held in Phnom Penh last November, bearing fruit after about 13 months.

Kyodo News reported that immediately after the meeting, Minister Kihara told reporters that the system for the three countries to instantly share information on ballistic missiles launched by North Korea is progressing smoothly and has entered the final stage for operation, and that there was consensus to accelerate coordination to launch the system within this year.

South Korea, the U.S., and Japan also jointly condemned North Korea's launch of military reconnaissance satellites using ballistic missile technology and military weapons transactions between North Korea and Russia. The three ministers stated, "The two launches and reattempts of North Korea's claimed space launch vehicles this year are serious violations of United Nations Security Council resolutions banning all launches using ballistic missile technology," and added, "We will firmly respond in cooperation with the international community." They also emphasized, "The role of the international community is crucial to deter North Korea's nuclear development through sanctions and pressure and to lead to 'North Korea's complete denuclearization,'" and pointed out that "all members of the international community, including China and Russia, must thoroughly implement UN Security Council resolutions."

They also expressed their stance on overseas issues. Regarding the Taiwan Strait issue, they voiced concern over actions inconsistent with international law such as the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, stating, "It is important to fully respect the international order, including freedom of navigation and overflight and other legitimate uses of the seas," targeting China. On Russia's invasion of Ukraine, they reaffirmed their position of "supporting Ukraine's sovereignty, territorial integrity, and independence."

This meeting was arranged at the suggestion of Minister Shin Won-sik as a follow-up discussion on matters decided at the South Korea-U.S.-Japan summit held at Camp David in August. It was the first time in five months since the trilateral defense ministers last met during the Shangri-La Dialogue (Asia Security Conference) in Singapore in June, and notably, this meeting was the first trilateral defense ministers' meeting held independently rather than as part of a multilateral conference.

Ministers Shin and Austin are scheduled to hold the 55th Security Consultative Meeting (SCM) at the Ministry of National Defense building on the 13th, where they will discuss measures to strengthen extended deterrence capabilities, including concretizing the operation of the Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG).

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.