Korea, Japan, U.S. hold first maritime exercise since 2017

Seoul, Washington and Tokyo will hold a trilateral anti-submarine warfare exercise in international waters between South Korea and Japan on Friday, the first such exercise in nearly five years.

South Korean and U.S. naval vessels participate in a bilateral combined military exercise in the East Sea on Thursday. [YONHAP]

Seoul, Washington and Tokyo will hold a trilateral anti-submarine warfare exercise in international waters between South Korea and Japan on Friday, the first such exercise in nearly five years.

The trilateral exercise will be aimed at promoting interoperability, tactical and technical coordination as well as efficient communications among the three countries, the U.S. 7th Fleet announced in a statement.

Seoul’s Ministry of National Defense said in a separate statement that the exercise will be defensive in nature, and be a part of the ministry’s measures to “restore” trilateral military cooperation “to the level before 2017” in order to respond to North Korean nuclear and missile threats.

2017 is when former liberal President Moon Jae-in, who promoted engagement with the North, began his single five-year term. Current President Yoon Suk-yeol, a conservative, has promised a tougher stance on Pyongyang and its leader Kim Jong-un.

The Defense Ministry stressed that the goal of the exercise was to improve the countries’ detection, identification and tracking of North Korean submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs).

The location of the exercise has been set for international waters in the East Sea, the ministry continued, because that’s where North Korean submarine activities and SLBM threats are believed to be.

It’s the first time since April 2017 that Seoul, Washington and Tokyo are holding a combined maritime exercise.

According to Seoul’s Defense Ministry and the U.S. 7th Fleet, the exercise will include the USS Ronald Reagan, the flagship of Carrier Strike Group 5; the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Chancellorsville; the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Benfold; the JMSDF destroyer JS Asahi; and the South Korean Navy’s Munmu the Great destroyer.

The ships will operate with a U.S. submarine to enhance interoperability in anti-submarine warfare, the allies said, adding that liaison officers from each country will observe the exercise from each surface vessel participating.

“Exercises such as this forge a trilateral relationship between Japan, Republic of Korea (ROK) and the United States that is forward-leaning, reflective of our shared values, and resolute against those who challenge regional stability,” the U.S. 7th Fleet statement read.

“Trilateral operations also concretely demonstrate our shared, unwavering commitment to upholding regional security and stability through information sharing and further trilateral cooperation,” the statement continued.

The trilateral exercise will come a single day after South Korea and the United States finished a four-day combined naval exercise featuring the USS Ronald Reagan in the East Sea.

It also comes a day after U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris capped her four-day trip to Asia with a visit to Seoul.

North Korea on Wednesday evening fired two short-range missiles toward the East Sea, which landed in North Korean territorial waters.

South Korea’s National Intelligence Service said Wednesday that a seventh nuclear test from Pyongyang was likely to be held between Oct. 16 and Nov. 7.

BY LEE SUNG-EUN [lee.sungeun@joongang.co.kr]