S. Korea, US, Japan hold naval drills against N. Korean threats

South Korea, the United States and Japan hold a joint naval drill in international waters south of Jeju Island, Tuesday. Courtesy of South Korean Navy

NK leader slams 'gang bosses' of trilateral partnership

By Lee Hyo-jin

South Korea, the United States and Japan held trilateral missile defense drills on Tuesday, in a show of force against growing North Korean military threats, including a recent rocket launch.

The exercise, which took place in international waters south of Jeju Island, involved three Aegis destroyers: ROKS Yulgok Yi, USS Benfold and JS Haguro, according to the South Korean Navy.

The Navy said the exercise was held in response to Pyongyang's growing missile and nuclear threats including the recent launch of a space vehicle, which "clearly violates U.N. Security Council resolutions that ban any launches by North Korea using ballistic technologies."

North Korea launched what it called a military spy satellite, the Malligyong-1, on Thursday ― a second attempt following the first failed launch in May ― which also ended in failure. The North is poised to make another attempt in October.

"The training exercise focused on practicing procedures of detecting and tracking a simulated target under the scenario of North Korea's ballistic missile provocations," the Navy said adding that the allies shared information regarding virtual ballistic missile targets in the exercise.

The exercise also included an inspection of the real-time information-sharing system on North Korea's missile warning data, as a follow-up measure to an agreement signed by the leaders of the three countries earlier this month.

During a three-way summit held at Camp David on Aug. 18 (local time), President Yoon Suk Yeol, U.S. President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida expressed commitment to activating a real-time missile warning data-sharing system by the end of this year and holding annual multi-domain military exercises.

Tuesday's drill was the fifth trilateral naval exercise to be held under the Yoon administration as South Korea continues to expand security ties with the U.S. and Japan to counter North Korea's evolving missile threats.

On the same day, Gen. Anthony Cotton, commander of the U.S. Strategic Command, arrived in South Korea to reiterate the U.S.' commitment to its allies in Northeast Asia, according to U.S. Forces Korea (USFK).

He was briefed by USFK commander Gen. Pal LaCamera on the combined military drills, called Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS), involving South Korean and U.S. troops currently being held across the nation.

Over the next two days, Cotton will meet senior South Korean officials to discuss ways the two countries can contribute to the stability of the Indo-Pacific region as discussed during the Camp David summit, the USFK said.

South Korean and U.S. troops take part in a joint military drill called the Ulchi Freedom Shield in waters off Yangyang, Gangwon Province, Monday. The 11-day annual joint exercise, which is based on an all-out war scenario, kicked off on Aug. 21. Courtesy of Republic of Korea Army

In an apparent sign that the North is growing increasingly wary about strengthened South Korea-U.S.-Japan trilateral cooperation, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un called for bolstering the nation's naval forces during his recent visit to the navy command to mark Navy Day, which falls on Monday.

"Recently, the gang bosses of the U.S., Japan and the 'Republic of Korea' were closeted with each other, where they announced that they would conduct, on a regular basis, tripartite joint military exercises under different codenames, and set about its implementation," Kim was quoted as saying by Pyongyang's state media, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), Tuesday.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and his daughter Ju-ae visit the nation's navy command to mark Navy Day which falls on Monday, in this photo released by North Korea's state media Korean Central News Agency, Tuesday. Yonhap

He also said that the waters off of the Korean Peninsula have become the world's "most unstable waters with the danger of a nuclear war" due to the reckless confrontational moves of the U.S. and other hostile forces.

South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned Kim's remarks.

"We express deep regrets about North Korea's very rude language against the leaders of South Korea, the U.S. and Japan. It is clear that the North's unlawful nuclear and missile development and provocations are seriously undermining peace in the region," ministry spokesperson Lim Soo-suk said during a briefing, Tuesday.

The North Korean leader's public visit to the country's naval headquarters was the first of its kind since he took power in 2012. Some analysts believe that the rare move shows his intentions to bolster the capacity of naval assets by deploying nuclear weapons in the near future.

During his speech, Kim noted that the navy would be "equipped with new weaponry according to the policy of expanding the tactical nuclear weapons operation specified in building the state nuclear force."

"This could mean that the North is planning to soon deploy tactical nuclear weapons to its navy in response to strengthened military cooperation between South Korea, the U.S. and Japan," said Hong Min, a senior researcher at the Korean Institute for National Unification.

Hong added that North Korea would diversify its naval weapons system using its Haeil ― an underwater nuclear-capable attack drone ― along with strategic cruise missiles and submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBM).