The announcement of the cruise missile test comes days after US President Joe Biden hosted South Korean leader Yun Suk Yeol at Camp David along with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
At a news conference on Friday, the leaders said they saw a “new chapter” of closer three-way security cooperation after the summit, which until recently was unimaginable because of the legacy of Japan’s harsh 1910-1945 occupation of the Korean Peninsula. will be. ,
It was the first time the leaders of the three countries met for a stand-alone summit, and while China was a main topic, they also discussed North Korea.
The three leaders agreed on a multi-year plan to move from one-off drills in response to Pyongyang to regular exercises in all areas, and made a formal “commitment to consult” during the crisis, with Biden saying they would open a hotline.
The leaders also agreed to share real-time data on North Korea and hold summits every year.
“Deepening US-Japan-South Korea trilateral cooperation could allow China to boost diplomacy with Pyongyang by pressuring North Korea to return to talks,” said Leif-Erik Eisley, a professor at Eva University in Seoul.
“Until that happens, the Kim regime will continue to escalate its nuclear threats and launch missiles.”
