South Korea, Japan defense chiefs reaffirm Korean Peninsula denuclearization at Seoul talks

South Korean Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-baek and Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi held bilateral defense talks in Seoul on Sunday, discussing ways to strengthen security cooperation.

In a joint press statement, the two ministers welcomed the sixth meeting between them — held on the occasion of Koizumi's visit to Seoul — following Ahn's trip to Japan in January and their meeting in Singapore in May.

The two sides highlighted as key achievements the regularization of ministerial visits and meetings, the resumption of South Korea-Japan search-and-rescue drills after roughly nine years, and progress in discussions on AI cooperation between the two defense authorities.

Amid a challenging security environment, the ministers agreed on the need for cooperation to maintain regional peace and stability, reaffirming their commitment to the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and the establishment of lasting peace. They also agreed to continue South Korea-Japan and South Korea-US-Japan security coordination.

The ministers also discussed expanding military exchanges. They agreed to build on the visit of South Korea's aerobatic team, the Black Eagles, to Japan as an opportunity to deepen exchanges with Japan's Blue Impulse aerobatic team, and to further develop search-and-rescue drills to strengthen maritime accident response capabilities. They also agreed to pursue cooperation in advanced science and technology, including AI.

The two ministers pledged to strengthen communication and efforts to advance stable, forward-looking defense exchanges and cooperation between the two countries through enhanced mutual understanding and trust.