S. Korea, US, Japan conduct 1st joint air exercise near Korean Peninsula
- 22 October, 2023
- 12:37
South Korea, the United States and Japan have staged a joint air exercise for the first time near the Korean Peninsula, Seoul's Air Force said, amid trilateral efforts to bolster security cooperation against North Korean threats, Report informs referring to Yonhap.
The three-way exercise took place south of the peninsula, where South Korean and Japanese air defense identification zones overlap, involving a US B-52H strategic bomber, as well as South Korean, US and Japanese fighter jets, according to the armed service.
While the US Air Force has conducted separate bilateral drills with its South Korean and Japanese counterparts around the peninsula, it marked the first time for the three countries to stage joint air drills in the area.
"This exercise was designed to follow through on the defense agreements discussed in the Camp David summit in August and expand the three countries' response capabilities against North Korea's advancing nuclear and missile threats," Seoul's Air Force said.
It said the exercise demonstrated the solidarity between the three countries, noting that it plans to further enhance trilateral cooperation based on the "solid" South Korea-US alliance.