Japan, South Korea, and the United States have come together to condemn North Korea’s latest weapons test, urging an end to the country’s destabilizing activities. The three countries have agreed to enhance security cooperation in response to the rising threat from North Korea, particularly after its first-ever solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) test. Defence officials from the three countries discussed missile defence exercises and anti-submarine exercises as a deterrence and response to North Korea’s “nuclear and missile threats”. They also discussed ways to resume trilateral exercises.
In a joint statement issued at the end of the 13th Defence Trilateral Talks in Washington, DC, the three countries “condemned in the strongest terms the DPRK’s repeated violations of United Nations Security Council resolutions (UNSCRs), including its continuous nuclear and missile provocations and illicit ship-to-ship transfers”. The statement urged Pyongyang to “stop all destabilizing activities immediately” and reaffirmed that a DPRK nuclear test, if conducted, would be met with a strong and resolute response from the international community.
North Korea has been rapidly expanding its military arsenal in recent years, raising concerns that it may be preparing to resume nuclear testing. Leader Kim Jong Un has ordered a rapid modernization of the country’s weaponry with a record number of tests in 2022. Developing solid-fuel technology, which is safer to use, easier to maneuver, and faster to deploy than liquid-propelled variants, was a key part of Kim’s arms development plans. Kim was shown in state media supervising the test of the solid-fuel Hwasong-18, which was described as a “miraculous success”.
Testing this year has ramped up amid large-scale joint military exercises by US and South Korean forces that Pyongyang claims are a rehearsal for invasion. Talks on denuclearization have been stalled since 2019 when a high-profile summit between Kim and then-US President Donald Trump collapsed. The three defence officials repeated a call for North Korea to return to talks, stating that the “path to dialogue” remains open.
The joint statement also discussed the regularisation of missile defence exercises and anti-submarine exercises as a deterrence and response to North Korea’s “nuclear and missile threats”. The three countries agreed to enhance security cooperation in response to the rising threat from North Korea. They also discussed ways to resume trilateral exercises.
The three countries have been working together to address the North Korean threat for some time. In 2017, they conducted a joint missile defense exercise in response to North Korea’s nuclear and missile tests. In 2018, they held their first-ever trilateral summit in New York, where they discussed ways to promote peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula.
The joint statement issued at the end of the 13th Defence Trilateral Talks in Washington, DC, highlights the importance of continued cooperation between Japan, South Korea, and the United States in addressing the North Korean threat. The three countries are committed to working together to maintain peace and stability in the region and to prevent North Korea from developing its nuclear and missile capabilities.
In conclusion, Japan, South Korea, and the United States have come together to condemn North Korea’s latest weapons test and urge an end to its destabilizing activities. The three countries have agreed to enhance security cooperation in response to the rising threat from North Korea, particularly after its first-ever solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) test. The joint statement issued at the end of the 13th Defence Trilateral Talks in Washington, DC, highlights the importance of continued cooperation between Japan, South Korea, and the United States in addressing the North Korean threat. The three countries are committed to working together to maintain peace and stability in the region and to prevent North Korea from developing its nuclear and missile capabilities.