Senior defense officials of S. Korea, Japan reaffirm cooperation against N. Korean threats
Vice Defense Minister Lee Doo-hee, 3rd from left, and his Japanese counterpart, Atsushi Ando, 2nd from right, holding talks, Tokyo, Friday, in this photo provided by South Korea's defense ministry. Yonhap
Senior defense officials of South Korea and Japan have held talks in Tokyo and reaffirmed the importance of close cooperation to tackle North Korea's nuclear and missile threats, Seoul's defense ministry said Friday.
Vice Defense Minister Lee Doo-hee met with his Japanese counterpart, Atsushi Ando, as he made a two-day visit to Japan from Thursday, according to the defense ministry. Earlier, Lee paid a courtesy call on Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi.
Lee's trip came at the invitation of Ando, who visited Seoul in May for the two nations' security policy consultations and in September to attend the Seoul Defense Dialogue.
During the latest talks, Lee and Ando reaffirmed the importance of close coordination between the two nations and also among Seoul, Washington and Tokyo to respond to North Korea's evolving nuclear and missile threats amid a rapidly changing international security environment and under a grave security situation on the Korean Peninsula, the ministry said.
The officials also agreed to push for defense cooperation and exchanges in such advanced science and technology sectors as artificial intelligence (AI) and unmanned systems and in a future-oriented manner.