Allies fortify deterrence against NK threats
South Korea, the United States and Japan conduct a trilateral missile defense exercise in the international waters of the East Sea, Monday. Courtesy of Republic of Korea NavyBy Lee Hyo-jinSouth Korea, the United States and Japan staged a trilateral missile defense exercise, Monday, in a major demonstration of strengthened security cooperation against North Korea's evolving nuclear and missile threats.The navies of South Korea and the U.S., as well as Japan's maritime self-defense forces, conducted the combined exercise in international waters between the South and Japan, mobilizing three Aegis-equipped destroyers ― South Korea's Yulgok Yi I, USS Benfold of the U.S. and Japan's JS Atago ― according to the South Korean Navy.After setting a virtual target during a hypothetical scenario of a North Korean ballistic missile launch, the drill focused on detecting and tracking the target as well as information sharing between the three warships. “This is an opportunity for our navy to solidify its response capacity over ballistic missiles while strengthening Korea-U.S.-Japan security c
