Bloomberg | | Posted by Animesh Chaturvedi
South Korea, the US and Japan will hold regular military drills as North Korea continues to develop its nuclear and missile programs despite international sanctions and pressure.
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The allies have “agreed to regularize missile defense and anti-submarine warfare exercises,” South Korea’s defense ministry said in a statement Saturday, adding the drills may expand to maritime interdiction operations. The three nations also agreed to strengthen real-time information sharing on events such as missile launches from North Korea.
Defense ministry officials held trilateral talks in Washington on Friday, strongly condemning North Korea’s continued provocations and pointing out the threats clearly violated UN Security Council resolutions. The country has conducted several ballistic missile tests in recent months.
North Korea said on Friday it tested a new type of solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile that could deliver multiple nuclear warheads to the US mainland. It fired off a suspected ICBM on Thursday that landed off Hokkaido, one of Japan’s main islands.
In response to the provocation, the UN Security Council is set to hold an emergency meeting next week, according to Japan’s national broadcaster NHK on Saturday. The US and Japan have requested the gathering to address growing concerns over North Korea’s missile advancements.
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The launch served as a reminder of the bevy of weapons North Korea has displayed in recent months to deliver a nuclear strike as it refuses to engage in disarmament-for-aid talks that have stalled for years. North Korea recently tested a new undersea “Haeil” drone that it said could deliver a “radioactive tsunami” — a claim doubted by South Korea’s military.