US Department of Defense to Announce Follow-up Measures on Joint Military Exercises After ROK-US-Japan Summit Soon

The U.S. Department of Defense announced on the 22nd that it will soon announce follow-up measures such as the establishment of a hotline and joint military exercises in relation to the trilateral summit held at Camp David on the 18th (local time).

Patrick Ryder, U.S. Department of Defense Spokesperson
Photo by AP News

Patrick Ryder, spokesperson for the Department of Defense, said at a regular briefing that "the leaders of the Republic of Korea, the United States, and Japan emphasized peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region and the world during the summit."

He added, "The three countries plan to conduct multi-year joint combined military exercises, activate trilateral missile defense by the end of this year, and establish an information-sharing system including early warning for North Korea's missile launches."

Spokesperson Ryder also emphasized, "Regarding enhanced information sharing, the three countries will utilize existing security communication lines and institutionalize and build communication channels. Through this, the trilateral cooperation system responding to North Korea's provocations will be strengthened."

He stated, "All these announcements confirm that the ROK-U.S.-Japan relationship is stronger than ever, and we will continue to work closely with our allies in Korea and Japan."

Regarding North Korea's satellite launch announcement, Ryder said, "I will not comment specifically on intelligence matters, but we will stand with our allies in Korea and Japan against North Korea's ongoing provocations, including its so-called space development plans."

He continued, "We will take all necessary measures to defend the U.S. homeland and our allies," reaffirming close cooperation with Korea and Japan.

Regarding whether the security 'hotline' between the ROK, U.S., and Japan was established and operated in relation to this satellite launch announcement, he responded, "There will be a detailed announcement soon. We have multiple communication channels with Korea and Japan, and the details to be announced soon pertain to increasing communication and enabling rapid response in case of crisis situations."