SEOUL: The top U.S. naval official in South Korea on Friday hailed trilateral security cooperation with Japan, saying such efforts have enhanced the three countries’ capability and readiness against North Korean missile threats.
Rear Adm. Neil Koprowski, commander of U.S. Naval Forces Korea, made the remark during an annual forum hosted by Yonhap News Agency in Seoul, citing a series of recent trilateral cooperation efforts, including a combined maritime exercise in April.
“These enhanced bilateral and trilateral defense exercises demonstrate the capability and readiness of our combined forces through the improved information sharing and increased cooperation and coordination on ballistic missile defense and in particular against the DPRK missile threat,” he said.
DPRK stands for North Korea’s official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
Last December, the three countries launched a system to share North Korean missile warning data in real time and established a multiyear exercise plan after
their leaders agreed on such efforts during their summit at Camp David in August to better deter North Korean threats.
In line with last year’s agreement, the three countries also launched their first multi-domain exercise, named Freedom Edge, in international waters, south of South Korea’s southern island of Jeju, on Thursday.
“We have made great strides to strengthen our trilateral relationship through the consistent participation in exercises in multiple warfare areas and domains,” Koprowski said.
“Together, the United States, the Republic of Korea and Japan form a dynamic and enduring partnership that continues to safeguard and advance the interest of our people and the broader global community,” he said, referring to South Korea by its official name.
Source: Yonhap News Agency