The Navy said that commanders of the South Korean, U.S. and Japanese navies met in Seoul on the 15th to discuss ways to strengthen cooperation to deter and respond to North Korea's nuclear and missile threats.
Navy Chief of Staff Kim Kyung-ryul, a four-star admiral, held bilateral talks in the afternoon at the Navy Finance and Accounting Battalion in Seoul with U.S. Pacific Fleet Commander Stephen Koehler, a four-star admiral, and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force Chief of Staff Akira Saito, the equivalent of navy chief.
Kim exchanged views with Koehler on security and defense industry cooperation between the two navies, including expanding cooperation on the South Korea-U.S. combined defense posture and ship maintenance, repair and overhaul. In particular, Kim was said to have requested cooperation and support in connection with the South Korean government's push to acquire nuclear-powered submarines.
Kim also discussed with Saito the resumption of the South Korea-Japan search and rescue exercise (SAREX) and other exchange plans between the South Korean Navy and the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force. It is the first visit to South Korea by a Japanese maritime chief of staff in 7 years and 6 months since attending the Western Pacific Naval Symposium (WPNS) held in Jeju in Oct. 2018.
After the bilateral talks, at a dinner meeting held at the Navy chief's official residence in Seoul, the South Korean, U.S. and Japanese commanders shared their assessments of the maritime security situation in the Pacific region and discussed ways to enhance trilateral maritime security cooperation.
It is seen that the three countries likely discussed coordination measures to respond to North Korea, which is seeking to bolster its nuclear force, including test-firing a strategic cruise missile dubbed the "North Korean Tomahawk."