Defense chiefs of Japan and South Korea meet to build mutual trust

Japanese Defense Minister Minoru Kihara and his South Korean counterpart Shin Won Sik met in Singapore on Saturday, aiming to boost trust between their forces marred by a lingering dispute over the alleged lockdown of a Japanese radar. fire control on a Japanese plane in 2018.

The first bilateral talks between defense ministers of neighboring East Asian countries in about a year took place on the sidelines of the three-day Asian Security Summit, known as the Shangri-La Dialogue, which is being held in the Southeast Asian city-state on Friday. .

Given Japan’s claims that a South Korean destroyer locked its fire control radar on a Self-Defense Force patrol plane in December 2018, Kihara and Shin will discuss measures to prevent similar problems, according to a source close to the file.

Japanese Defense Minister Minoru Kihara (left) and his South Korean counterpart Shin Won Sik (2nd from right) talk on the sidelines of the three-day Asian Security Summit in Singapore on 1 June 2024. (Kyodo)

The alleged incident took place in Japan’s exclusive economic zone in the Sea of ​​Japan. However, Seoul denied it, arguing that the Japanese plane flew menacingly at low altitude near the warship as it searched for a drifting North Korean fishing boat.

Saturday’s meeting comes as the two governments explore ways to normalize defense exchanges, which have been nearly suspended over the radar dispute, recognizing the need to collaborate to address South Korea’s nuclear and missile threats. North.

Tokyo-Seoul relations have improved since the inauguration of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol in May 2022, after falling to their lowest level in decades under his predecessor, Moon Jae In, mainly due to labor compensation. in times of war and trade conflicts.

The two countries also strengthened their trilateral defense cooperation with their common ally, the United States, to address regional security challenges, including China’s military buildup.

When Japanese and South Korean defense ministers held talks in Singapore in June last year, they agreed to accelerate discussions on preventing problems with their forces’ use of radar.

Furthermore, on the sidelines of the major security conference, Japan, the United States and South Korea plan to hold a trilateral meeting of defense ministers on Sunday, the source said.

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