Seoul, Jan 17 (EFE).- South Korea, the United States and Japan have carried out joint naval drills in southern Korean waters following North Korea’s recent test-firing of a new hypersonic missile.
An undated handout photo made available by the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff on 17 January 2024 shows (clockwise from bottom R) South Korea’s Aegis-equipped destroyer Sejong the Great, the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson and the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force’s Aegis-equipped destroyer Kongo sailing in waters south of the Korean Peninsula, as South Korea, the United States and Japan jointly conduct naval drills following North Korea’s recent launch of a hypersonic missile. EFE/EPA/Joint Chiefs of Staff, South Korea
The exercises took place near Jeju island, in the southwest of the peninsula, between Monday and Wednesday with the participation of nine warships from the three countries, including the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson, according to the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS).
South Korea deployed destroyers equipped with the Aegis combat system, while Japan’s Kongo-class destroyers from the Maritime Self-Defense Forces took part.
The drills began a day after North Korea tested what it said was a solid-fuel intermediate-range ballistic missile armed with a hypersonic warhead, a new addition to its arsenal that marked its first test of this type of 2024.
“The exercise is aimed at bolstering the three nations’ deterrence and response capabilities against North Korea’s nuclear and missile threat as well as maritime threats,” the JCS said in a statement cited by Yonhap news agency.
“It also focused on responding to maritime security threats, including transporting weapons of mass destruction, and enhancing the trilateral cooperation in establishing the rules-based international order,” it added.
The exercises are the first carried out by Seoul, Washington and Tokyo since they launched a real-time information exchange system on North Korean launches and after agreeing to establish a multi-year exercise plan to counter Pyongyang’s development.
On Monday, JCS Chairman Adm. Kim Myung-soo visited the aircraft carrier and highlighted the importance of the drills, also promising to intensify the combined action posture as agreed.
North Korea’s new weapons development has intensified concern and tension in the region, as hypersonic and solid-fuel missiles are more maneuverable and considered more difficult to detect and shoot down. EFE
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