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The Mainichi
11-07-2025
- Politics
- The Mainichi
Top uniformed officers of S. Korea, US, Japan reaffirm cooperation
SEOUL (Kyodo) -- The top uniformed officers of South Korea, the United States and Japan reaffirmed defense cooperation to address the growing missile threat from North Korea, during their talks in Seoul on Friday. Adm. Kim Myung Soo, chief of South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff and his U.S. and Japanese counterparts, Gen. Dan Caine and Gen. Yoshihide Yoshida, met for the first time since South Korean President Lee Jae Myung took office in early June. Yoshida's trip to South Korea marked the first by a chief of Japan's Joint Staff since 2010, according to the Japanese Defense Ministry. "As the North Korean nuclear and missile threats continue to grow and security challenges persist in the region, it is crucial to maintain the momentum of ROK-U.S.-Japan security cooperation and further develop it," Kim said at the outset of their talks. ROK is an acronym for the Republic of Korea, South Korea's official name. Caine also stressed trilateral cooperation, noting the United States remains focused on reestablishing deterrence, given what he described as "an unprecedented military buildup" by North Korea and China. Yoshida said the aim of his trip to Seoul was to ensure that trilateral defense cooperation remains resilient "regardless of political changes in each country" so that progress continues steadily. On the same day, the three countries conducted a joint aerial exercise over international waters off South Korea's southern island of Jeju, marking the first deployment of a U.S. B-52H bomber to the Korean Peninsula this year, according to South Korea's Defense Ministry. The exercise, which also involved South Korean KF-16 fighter jets and Japan Air Self-Defense Force F-2 fighter jets, aims to enhance deterrence and response capabilities against North Korea's increasingly sophisticated nuclear and missile threats, the ministry said.
Newsweek
24-04-2025
- Politics
- Newsweek
US Prepares South Korea To Face Nuclear Attack by North
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The United States has recently provided military training to South Korea, its treaty ally in Northeast Asia, for operating under a nuclear attack that might be launched by North Korea. Newsweek has reached out to the North Korean Embassy in China for comment by email. Why It Matters North Korea is one of the nine countries armed with nuclear weapons. Its leader, Kim Jong Un, has pledged to keep the country's nuclear arsenal, which is estimated to have around 50 warheads, to strengthen deterrents against the U.S. and its South Korean and Japanese allies. This photo provided by the North Korean government shows what it says is a test launch of new intercontinental ballistic missile Hwasong-19 on October 31, 2024, at an undisclosed site in North Korea. This photo provided by the North Korean government shows what it says is a test launch of new intercontinental ballistic missile Hwasong-19 on October 31, 2024, at an undisclosed site in North Korea. KCNA via AP Facing North Korea's nuclear threats, the U.S. has been rotating its military assets, including aircraft carriers, heavy bombers, and nuclear-armed submarines, to the Korean Peninsula as a show of force while pursuing the goal of the "complete denuclearization of North Korea." What To Know From April 15 to 16, the U.S. Army Nuclear and Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Agency, which provides nuclear and countering weapons of mass destruction expertise and analysis, conducted the first training course in South Korea, the U.S. Forces Korea revealed. The training, formally known as the Nuclear Weapon Effects Course-Korea, took place at a South Korean Strategic Command facility in Seoul. The command was launched in October 2024 to counter nuclear and weapons of mass destruction threats posed by North Korea. The course aimed at equipping participants with "knowledge and skills necessary to operate effectively in and through a nuclear environment," the U.S. Forces Korea said in the press release on Tuesday, which can strengthen deterrence against "nuclear-armed adversaries." The Korean Service Corps 22nd Company conducts its annual Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, and Explosives (CBRNE) training at Camp Humphreys in South Korea on April 7, 2025. The Korean Service Corps 22nd Company conducts its annual Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, and Explosives (CBRNE) training at Camp Humphreys in South Korea on April 7, 2025. Spc. Caelum Astra/U.S. Army A total of eight South Korean members, assigned to the Strategic Command and the Defense Ministry, took part in the training, as well as five people sent by the U.S.-South Korea joint warfighting headquarters, the Combined Forces Command, according to the press release. South Korean admiral Kim Myung Soo, who serves as the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff as the country's top military officer, on Thursday visited a bunker buster missile unit, which operates the domestically developed Korean Tactical Surface to Surface Missile. During the visit, the admiral urged for what he called "overwhelming capabilities" to deter potential provocations from North Korea, the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff reported. What People Are Saying The U.S. Forces Korea said: "The training content is also directly applicable to Alliance tabletop exercises and wargames focused on conventional-nuclear integration, and enhancing the combined joint force's strategic understanding." U.S. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said: "North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is pursuing stronger, strategic, and conventional capabilities that can target U.S. forces and allies in the region, as well as the U.S. homeland, to bolster North Korea's leverage and stature, defend its regime, and achieve at least tacit recognition as a nuclear weapons power." What Happens Next It remains to be seen when North Korea will carry out a new round of provocations, such as launching ballistic missiles, as the U.S. is enhancing its military presence in Northeast Asia.
