2024-07-19 13:59:07
Agree to build a close cooperative system to counter North Korea’s provocations, including expanding ‘Freedom Edge’
Acceleration of Korea-Japan Military Cooperation After Settlement of ‘Early Aircraft Conflict’
The ROK-US-Japan defense talks will also be held in Japan on the 27th and 28th, with the ROK defense chief visiting Japan for the first time in 15 years.
The Korea-US-Japan Joint Chiefs of Staff meeting was held on the 18th at the Joint Staff Office (equivalent to the Joint Chiefs of Staff) in Tokyo, Japan. This is the first time that the Korea-US-Japan Joint Chiefs of Staff meeting has been held in Japan since it began in 2014 for military cooperation against North Korea.
The ROK-US-Japan Defense Ministers’ Meeting is also scheduled to be held in Tokyo on the 27th and 28th. This will be the first time in 15 years since 2009 that a ROK defense minister will visit Japan.
Since the South Korean and Japanese defense chiefs agreed to resolve the ‘early warning aircraft conflict’ at the Shangri-La Dialogue (Asian Security Conference) in Singapore early last month, military cooperation between the two countries appears to be accelerating. It is expected that the trilateral military cooperation between South Korea, the US, and Japan against North Korea will also gain more momentum.
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Kim Myung-soo (Navy Admiral) met with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Charles Brown of the U.S. and Chief of Staff of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Yoshihide of Japan (equivalent to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff) at the Japanese government office on the 18th to hold a meeting of the three countries’ Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairmen. It is the first time in six years since Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Jeong Kyeong-doo visited Japan in secret in 2018.
The South Korea-U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman and the Japanese chief of staff issued a joint press release immediately after the meeting, condemning North Korea’s illegal development of nuclear and ballistic missile programs and provocations in violation of numerous UN Security Council resolutions, as well as the strengthening of North Korea-Russia military cooperation. They also agreed to further strengthen trilateral military cooperation in response to North Korea’s provocations, such as expanding the “Freedom Edge,” a multi-domain exercise among the three countries that was first conducted last month, and to continue trilateral cooperation for peace, stability, and deterrence in the region.
They also sent a message of restraint toward China. The joint press release pointed out that China’s dangerous and aggressive actions in the South China Sea and elsewhere in the region, which support its illegal maritime claims, are increasing, and they wrote that they oppose any attempt to change the status quo in the Indo-Pacific region through unilateral force.
A Joint Chiefs of Staff official said, “Immediately after the meeting, Chairman Kim and others visited Yokota Air Base to inspect the real-time sharing system of North Korean missile warning information among the three countries.” It is also said that they agreed to hold the Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman’s meeting in Korea next year.
The Korea-US-Japan Joint Chiefs of Staff meeting, which is now in its 10th year, was mainly held at the Indo-Pacific Command in Hawaii and the US Department of Defense. It was not held in Korea or Japan. A military source said, “Last month, the Korea-Japan early warning aircraft conflict was resolved, and it was agreed to hold the trilateral Joint Chiefs of Staff meeting in Korea and Japan as well.”
Meanwhile, Minister of National Defense Shin Won-sik plans to visit Japan from the 27th to the 29th to hold a trilateral defense ministerial meeting with U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Japanese Defense Minister Minoru Kihara. This will be the first time in 15 years since 2009 that a South Korean defense minister has visited Japan.
A military source said, “The defense ministers of the three countries will meet in Tokyo to discuss key issues, including military cooperation against North Korea, during the Japan-U.S. 2+2 (defense and foreign ministers) meeting.”
In an interview with Bloomberg last month, Minister Shin said, “I proactively proposed the Korea-U.S.-Japan security cooperation framework, which was developed under the leadership of Korea at the Shangri-La Dialogue, to Secretary Austin and Defense Minister Kiharu,” and “We have decided to sign it in the second half of this year.”
Military expert reporter Yoon Sang-ho [email protected]
Reporter Son Hyo-joo [email protected]
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2024-07-19 13:59:07