WORLD
US, Japan, South Korea to hold missile defence exercises to deter North Korea threat
In a joint statement, the US, Japan, and South Korea considered regularizing missile defense and anti-submarine exercises to deter and respond to North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats.
The joint statement said the announcement was made at the 13th Defence Trilateral Talks in Washington D.C. on Friday to exchange assessments of the security environment on the Korean Peninsula and wider area and consult on tangible ways to expand trilateral security cooperation.
The statement “urged the DPRK to stop all destabilising activities immediately” and “reaffirmed that a DPRK nuclear test, if conducted, would be met with a strong and resolute response from the international community,” using North Korea’s official name.
It follows North Korea’s declaration on Friday that it had tested a new solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), which experts said would allow for rapid missile launches.