TOKYO, Jun 7 : Japan and South Korea conducted joint naval exercises on Sunday for the first time since 2017, practicing search and rescue operations, according to Japan’s Kyodo News Agency.
The Maritime Search and Rescue Exercise (SAREX) was carried out by the South Korean Navy and Japan’s Maritime Self-Defense Force in international waters southeast of Jeju Island, the South Korean Navy said.
The drills also took place west of the Goto Islands in Nagasaki Prefecture, Kyodo reported.
Japan deployed a Kongo-class guided missile destroyer equipped with the U.S.-made Aegis ballistic missile defense system, while South Korea participated with a Cheon Wang Bong-class amphibious landing ship. A Japanese maritime patrol helicopter also took part in the exercise.
The exercise involved the Navy’s 4,900-ton ROKS Cheon Ja Bong landing ship, Japan’s 7,250-ton Aegis-equipped Kongo destroyer and a Japanese maritime patrol helicopter.
The SAREX drills, first launched in 1999 and held biennially, are designed to improve coordination between the two navies in responding to maritime emergencies near the Korean Peninsula.
The exercises had been suspended following a 2018 incident in which a South Korean naval vessel allegedly used fire-control radar to track a Japanese Self-Defense Force patrol aircraft. Seoul later said the Japanese aircraft posed a threat to its ship.
Both countries agreed earlier this year to resume joint drills, and finalized scheduling during a meeting on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore in May. (UNI )
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