Seoul – In a significant show of military cooperation, South Korea, the United States, and Japan conducted joint naval exercises in waters south of the Korean Peninsula on Sunday. The drills.
According to Yonhap News Agency, were aimed at strengthening their defense posture in response to North Korea's escalating nuclear and missile threats. The joint exercise was conducted in southeastern waters off Jeju Island and involved the U.S. nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson, which is currently docked at a naval base in Busan, located 320 kilometers southeast of Seoul.
The exercise featured the participation of the South Korean Navy's Aegis combat system-equipped destroyers and the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force's Murasame-class destroyers. The naval drills focused on air defense and maritime exercises, designed to bolster the joint capabilities and combined defense posture of the three nations. This initiative comes in response to North Korea's recent launch of a military spy satellite on Tuesday, as per the announcement from the armed service.
The timing of the trilateral drill is noteworthy, occurring a day after Pyongyang claimed its reconnaissance satellite had captured images of U.S. Army bases in South Korea, U.S. territories in Hawaii and Guam, as well as the USS Carl Vinson. This recent development follows earlier agreements this month by the defense ministers of the three nations to develop a multiyear joint drill plan and expand the scope of the exercise. This expansion is intended to better counter the growing threat posed by North Korea.