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Defense leaders from South Korea, Japan, and the United States have agreed to initiate a real-time data-sharing mechanism regarding North Korean missile activities starting in December.
Just landed at Osan Air Base for my 4th visit to the Republic of Korea as Secretary of Defense. While in 🇰🇷, I'll underscore the United States' ironclad commitment to the U.S.-ROK Alliance. pic.twitter.com/S8WvWNneLB
— Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III (@SecDef) November 11, 2023
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and his South Korean counterpart Shin Won-sik met in Seoul on Sunday, with Japan’s defense minister Minoru Kihara joining virtually. The meeting focused on enhancing trilateral cooperation amidst challenging security conditions, marking the first tripartite discussion among the defense ministers.
Kihara emphasized the progress towards finalizing this data-sharing arrangement, a decision stemming from an August 18 summit agreement between US President Joe Biden, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
This agreement aims for the three countries to share real-time information on North Korean missile threats by the year’s end. Additionally, the ministers denounced the increasing military collaboration between North Korea and Russia as a breach of UN resolutions and underscored the need for peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.
