US, Japan, South Korea to share North Korean missiles radar data

WORLD  03 June 2023 - 19:00

The United States, Japan, and South Korea agreed on June 3 at a security forum in Singapore to share radar information in real-time to intercept missiles to increase their defense reaction to potential attacks, especially those from North Korea.

The agreement was reached by the US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and the defense ministers of Japan, Yasukazu Hamada, and South Korea, Lee Jong-sup, in a trilateral meeting on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue Asia’s most important security forum, La Pensa reports.

In a statement, the US Defense Department said the agreement was reached at a meeting in which the three countries discussed collaboration to preserve peace and security in the Indo-Pacific.

The department said the mechanism, which seeks to improve the detection of missiles launched by North Korea, should enter into force before the end of the year.

Until now, Japan and South Korea have separately shared radar data with the US, but not on a trilateral basis, an option they began negotiating at the Southeast Asia summit last year in Cambodia.

Since the failure of denuclearization negotiations with North Korea in 2019, Pyongyang has conducted a record number of missile tests, including the April launch of a solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile dubbed the Hwasong-18, the most sophisticated to date.

North Korea also launched a space rocket Wednesday with a satellite that was unsuccessful but demonstrates its defiance of UN sanctions that prohibit it from carrying out this type of test.

The North Korean nuclear tension, the war in Ukraine and the expansionist threat of China in Taiwan and in the South China Sea are some of the issues discussed at the Shangri-La forum, which brings together more than 550 delegates – among ministers, diplomats, military and experts – from some 40 countries.

The appointment is marked by tensions between the US and China and the refusal of Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu to meet with his US counterpart, although on Friday they greeted each other briefly at the inauguration dinner. 

Caliber.Az