Kang Shin-chul reaffirms importance of South Korea-US-Japan security cooperation in meeting with Japanese ambassador

Defense Minister Kang Shin-chul met with Japanese Ambassador to South Korea Mizushima Koichi on Monday and reaffirmed the importance of trilateral security cooperation among South Korea, the United States and Japan in countering North Korea's nuclear and missile threats.

Kang received Mizushima at the Ministry of National Defense on Monday afternoon, where the two exchanged views on the security situation on the Korean Peninsula and in the broader region, as well as key issues in South Korea-Japan defense exchange and cooperation.

Kang welcomed the ambassador's visit and asked him to serve as a strong bridge of trust and cooperation between the two countries to support the continued development of South Korea-Japan relations.

The two sides agreed on the need to steadily advance mutually beneficial and future-oriented defense exchange and cooperation, and pledged to maintain close communication to sustain the positive momentum in bilateral cooperation.

They also reaffirmed the importance of trilateral South Korea-US-Japan security cooperation in countering North Korea's advancing nuclear and missile threats amid rapidly shifting international conditions and a grave security environment on the Korean Peninsula.

In December 2023, the three countries activated a real-time missile warning data-sharing system covering the estimated launch point, flight trajectory and projected impact location of North Korean missiles, giving concrete form to their coordinated response to Pyongyang.

In 2024, they further broadened the scope of their security cooperation by conducting Freedom Edge, a trilateral combined exercise spanning multiple domains including air, maritime and cyber.