Kim Jong Un's Nuclear Ambitions Prompt Strong Response From U.S., Japan and South Korea

The U.S., Japan and South Korea have discussed the possibility of the “regularization of missile defense exercises and anti-submarine exercises” to deter North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats.

What Happened: To prevent and counter Kim Jong Un’s nuclear and missile threats, the U.S., Japan and South Korea announced in a joint statement that they had discussed regularizing missile defense and anti-submarine exercises, according to a statement by the U.S. Department of Defense.

The announcement was made at the 13th Defense Trilateral Talks held in Washington, D.C. on Friday. The “representatives exchanged assessments of the security environment on the Korean Peninsula” and the region as a whole, according to the statement. 

Defense officials from the U.S., Japan and Korea said that each side would remain vigilant and improve their trilateral security collaboration to defend against threats posed by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, or DPRK, and to strengthen peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region and on the Korean Peninsula.

The officials also reaffirmed that “a DPRK nuclear test, if conducted, would be met with a strong and resolute response from the international community.”

The delegates further emphasized the importance of stability and peace across the Taiwan Strait. They additionally reaffirmed the necessity of supporting Ukraine against Russia’s “war of aggression” and acknowledged that the latter's invasion constitutes a serious “violation of territorial integrity and sovereignty.”

Why It’s Important: The announcement follows Kim Jong Un’s warning of “extreme uneasiness and horror” to his perceived enemies, which he issued after North Korea declared on Friday that it had tested a new solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile to “radically promote” the country's nuclear capability.

A few days prior, North Korea reportedly fired a new model ballistic missile, which caused a scare in South Korea and northern Japan, where inhabitants were advised to take cover.

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