Defense chiefs of Korea, Japan pledge continued security cooperation

The defense chiefs of South Korea and Japan held phone talks Thursday and agreed to continue with their bilateral security cooperation, as well as trilateral cooperation also involving the United States, the South's defense ministry said.

Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back and his Japanese counterpart, Gen Nakatani, reached a consensus on such cooperation in their first phone conversation since Ahn took office as Seoul's new defense chief last month, according to the ministry.

Ahn underscored the importance of close bilateral coordination in the face of geopolitical uncertainties and security risks as the two countries mark the 60th anniversary of the normalization of their diplomatic relations this year.

In response, Nakatani congratulated Ahn on his inauguration and stressed that Korea is an important partner for Japan in dealing with various issues in the international community, the ministry said.

Both sides also agreed to meet at an early date to hold in-depth discussions on bilateral defense cooperation.