2024-01-17 03:37:12
The exercises took place in waters near Jeju Island, in the southwest of the peninsula, between Monday and Wednesday with the participation of nine ships from the three countries, including the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson, according to reports. the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS).
South Korea deployed destroyers equipped with the Aegis combat system, while Japan’s Kongo-class destroyers from the Maritime Self-Defense Forces took part.
The maneuvers revealed today began a day after North Korea test-launched what it said is a solid-fuel intermediate-range ballistic missile armed with a hypersonic warhead, a new addition to its arsenal that marked its first test of this type of 2024.
“The exercises aim to strengthen the deterrence and response capabilities of the three nations against the nuclear and missile threat from North Korea,” as well as against other maritime threats, such as weapons transport, the JCS said in a statement. by the South Korean news agency Yonhap.
These joint exercises are the first carried out by Seoul, Washington and Tokyo since they launched a real-time information exchange system on North Korean launches and after agreeing to jointly establish a multi-year exercise plan to counter Pyongyang’s development.
During the first day last Monday, Admiral Kim Myung-soo, president of the JCS, visited the aircraft carrier and highlighted the importance of the maneuvers, also promising to intensify the combined action posture as agreed.
This new North Korean weapons development has intensified concern and tension in the region, as hypersonic and solid fuel projectiles are more maneuverable and considered more difficult to detect and shoot down.
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