US, Japan, South Korea defence chiefs to share North Korea missile data in December

Tokyo, The Gulf Observer: Defence chiefs from South Korea, Japan and the United States have agreed to start as planned a real-time data sharing scheme on North Korean missiles in December, South Korea’s defence ministry said on Sunday.

U.S. Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin met his South Korean counterpart Shin Won-sik in Seoul on Sunday with Japanese defence minister Minoru Kihara joining the meeting online, Reuters reported.

The ministers discussed strengthening their three-way cooperation in the face of “severe security environments”, Kihara told reporters. It was the first time for the three ministers to hold such a gathering, he said.

U.S. President Joe Biden agreed with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at an Aug. 18 summit that by the end of this year the three countries would share North Korea missile warning data in real time.

Separately, General Charles Q. Brown, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, held talks with his South Korean counterpart in Seoul on Sunday, the South Korean military said.

In his first visit to South Korea since he took office in October, the top U.S. general discussed the “continuous provocations” of North Korea including missile launches, and reaffirmed the United States’ commitment to the defence of South Korea, the South Korean joint chiefs of staff said in a statement.