The Ministry of National Defense announced that South Korea, the United States, and Japan conducted a trilateral air exercise on July 11 over international waters south of Jeju Island. Notably, the exercise featured the deployment of a U.S. B-52H strategic bomber to the Korean Peninsula for the first time this year, alongside participation from the South Korean Air Force's KF-16 fighter jets and the Japan Air Self-Defense Force's F-2 fighter jets.
The exercise coincided with the 22nd Trilateral Chiefs of Defense Meeting, which was held at the Yongsan Joint Chiefs of Staff headquarters and attended by Kim Myungsoo, Chairman of South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff, Dan Cane, Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Yoshida Yoshihide, Chief of Staff, Joint Staff of Japan.
On June 18, the three countries also conducted an air exercise involving South Korea's F-15K fighter jets, the U.S. Air Force's F-16 fighter jets, and Japan's F-2 fighter jets. At that time, however, no strategic bombers participated in the exercise.
This is the second trilateral air exercise since the inauguration of the Lee Jaemyung administration. The Ministry of National Defense stated, "This exercise was conducted to enhance the deterrence and response capabilities of South Korea, the United States, and Japan against North Korea's advancing nuclear and missile threats." The ministry added, "Based on close cooperation, the three countries will continue to conduct trilateral exercises and work together to deter and jointly respond to North Korea's threats."
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