US, South Korea, Japan To Start Large-Scale Military Defense Exercise Amid Growing Nuclear Threats from North

US, South Korea, and Japan To Start Large-Scale Military Defense Exercise Amid Growing Nuclear Threats from North — As an increasingly hostile North Korea keeps increasing its pace of nuclear weapons tests, the United States, South Korea, and Japan will start their most extensive joint military training in years next week. ROSLAN RAHMAN/AFP via Getty Images

The United States and its top two Asian allies announced a cooperative missile defense drill off the coast of Hawaii, elevating the prominence of military exercises that demonstrate their readiness to collaborate in the face of North Korean and Chinese threats.

The anti-missile maneuvers took conducted from August 8 through Sunday, coinciding with the international Pacific Dragon exercise, according to a statement published by the Department of Defense on Tuesday. The three countries decided to hold the drills during a ministerial meeting in Singapore in June, according to the department.

US, Japan, South Korea Conduct Joint Military Drills

While the drills have taken place every two years since 2012, they were not disclosed in 2018 or 2020 due to tensions between Tokyo and Seoul. Moon Jae-in, the then-South Korean president, was similarly apprehensive of conducting public military maneuvers that may sour relations with China or his engagement with North Korea.

President Yoon Suk-yeol, a conservative who took over for Moon in May, has moved to increase joint drills with the US as his administration adopts a harsher stance toward China and the North. The Biden administration has attempted to strengthen ties with Japan and South Korea to present a unified front on problems ranging from security to semiconductor supply chains.

Kim Jong Un's leadership has modernized its missile arsenal in recent years, testing new missiles that are rapid to launch, maneuverable in flight, and geared to escape US-operated defense shields in the region. The United States, Japan, and South Korea have all warned that North Korea is planning its first nuclear test since 2017, according to South China Morning Post.

The exercise was designed to reassure allies of their individual and collective pledges to mutual defense. Notably, a collaboration between South Korea and Japan may help to alleviate long-standing cultural difficulties.

The drill is a response to similar Chinese military exercises that have taken place in recent weeks. In the aftermath of the US attack, the People's Liberation Army conducted several drills and fired several test missiles. Nancy Pel, Speaker of the House

Last Monday, the US Air Force launched an ICBM with a re-entry test modification to demonstrate the military's nuclear capabilities. The launch took place at 12:49 am PT practice that was regular and periodic. The test was initially scheduled for August 4 due to tensions with China over House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit. The Air Force stated that similar tests have been done more than 300 times previously and that the test was not the outcome of current international events, Fox News reported.

Russia, North Korea Aim To Strengthen Ties

After taking office in May, South Korea's conservative President Yoon Suk-yeol sought to strengthen relations with Japan. He also promised to deepen ties with Washington to dissuade Pyongyang's actions.

The exercise, described as a missile warning and ballistic missile search and tracking test, occurred between August 8 and 14. On Tuesday, the Seoul Ministry of Defense acknowledged the drill. It announced that troops will begin previously halted real field training.

South Korea's defense ministry also announced that more joint military exercises will be undertaken between August 22 and September 1. The announcement comes after both countries reduced joint military exercises in previous years owing to COVID-19. According to the US Defense Department, the three countries communicated tactical data link information in line with a trilateral information sharing agreement.

However, combined drills have already proven to be a source of frustration for Beijing. South Korea's choice to host an American military Terminal High Altitude Area Defense battery in 2016 has economic ramifications for Seoul. According to reports, Russian President Vladimir Putin addressed a letter to his North Korean counterpart Kim Jong Un to enhance ties between the two nations.

In a letter to Kim Jong Un, Putin noted that closer connections would be in both nations' interests, and would help reinforce the security and stability of the Korean peninsula and the Northeast Asian area. Relations between Russia and North Korea date back to the Soviet Union, when the USSR provided help to its ally, as per Express.