South Korea, Japan defence chiefs hold talks on North Korea missile threats

The defence chiefs of South Korea and Japan held a video call on April 8 to discuss North Korea’s nuclear and missile programmes, as well as their trilateral security cooperation with the United States, South Korea’s Defence Ministry said.

During the call, Defence Minister Ahn Gyu-back and his Japanese counterpart, Shinjiro Koizumi, exchanged information on Pyongyang’s recent missile launches and underscored the importance of close coordination with the U.S. to deter military threats, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

Both ministers also highlighted the significance of bilateral security cooperation for maintaining regional peace and stability, particularly amid heightened tensions stemming from the Middle East conflict, and agreed to continue defense exchanges in a stable and structured manner.

The discussions come after North Korea fired multiple short-range ballistic missiles on April 8, following a projectile launch the previous day, in what analysts say was a demonstration of force amid Pyongyang’s hostile stance toward Seoul.

By Sabina Mammadli