South Korea and Japan reaffirmed their commitment to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and agreed to strengthen defense cooperation

(South Korea News) South Korea and Japan jointly reaffirmed their commitment to achieving the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and agreed to further enhance defense exchanges and cooperation, marking a step forward in their security relationship.

On Sunday (June 28th), South Korean Defense Minister An Kyu-bok held talks with visiting Japanese Defense Minister Junichiro Koizumi in Seoul. The two countries agreed to jointly maintain regional stability in the current challenging security environment through bilateral cooperation and their partnership with the United States.

According to a statement released by the South Korean Ministry of Defense after the bilateral talks, the two defense ministers reaffirmed that South Korea and Japan are committed to achieving complete denuclearization and lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula, and will also continue to deepen bilateral cooperation as well as the trilateral cooperation among South Korea, Japan and the United States.

Pyongyang has repeatedly claimed that North Korea's status as a nuclear-armed state is irreversible. Earlier this month, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un vowed to enhance the country's defense capabilities, including equipping the navy with nuclear weapons, and continued to push forward missile tests. He also warned that the joint military modernization efforts by South Korea and the United States would push the Korean Peninsula to the "edge of nuclear war".

This is the sixth meeting between An Guibor and Koizumi. Their last conversation was during the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore at the end of May.

Since 2022, the United States has been actively promoting the overcoming of the sharp historical differences between South Korea and Japan and the establishment of closer relations. The current South Korean president, Lee Jae-myung, and the Japanese prime minister, Yoshihide Suga, have both continued this policy.

South Korea and Japan have enhanced cooperation in non-combat areas such as maritime search and rescue and aerobatic flights.

Just a few weeks before this meeting, South Korea and Japan jointly held their first joint maritime search and rescue exercise in nine years. This was a sign that the two countries were further strengthening their defense cooperation.

Anguib and Koizumi agreed that South Korea and Japan will continue their joint maritime search and rescue exercises and will also promote exchanges and cooperation between the South Korean Black Eagle stunt flying team and the Japanese Blue Shockwave performance team.

According to reports from South Korean media, in November last year, Japan refused to allow the Black Hawk Helicopter Team to stop over and refuel in Okinawa, citing the fact that South Korean military aircraft had flown over Dokdo (known as Takeshima in Japan) - an area with disputed sovereignty between the two countries.

After this incident, An Guib and Koizumi had a phone conversation. Then, in January this year, the Black Hawk Helicopter Squadron was granted permission to refuel at the Naha base in Okinawa. This was the first time that the Japanese Air Self-Defense Force had provided refueling for a South Korean military aircraft.

Before this meeting between An Guibor and Koizumi (on the 27th), they also visited the Black Eagle Performance Team in Wonju City, Gangwon Province.

The Yonhap News Agency pointed out that the statement mentioned the aerobatic flight team and the search and rescue exercise, indicating that South Korea and Japan are willing to enhance their contacts in non-combat areas. However, considering Japan's past colonial rule over South Korea, direct military exchanges between the two countries remain a sensitive issue.

The statement said that both sides also agreed to hold discussions on cooperation matters in advanced technological fields such as artificial intelligence, and to promote the steady development of defense exchanges between South Korea and Japan.