Trilateral Air Drills by South Korea, Japan, and U.S. Coincide with Defense Talks in Seoul
South Korea’s Ministry of Defense announced on Friday that military forces from Seoul, Tokyo, and Washington conducted joint air drills over international waters, featuring a U.S. B-52H strategic bomber and fighter jets from South Korea and Japan.
The ministry stated that this marks the first deployment of a B-52H bomber to the Korean Peninsula this year, aimed at bolstering deterrence against escalating nuclear and missile threats from North Korea.
The exercises coincided with the annual trilateral meeting of defense chiefs, held in Seoul, where officials emphasized the importance of close security cooperation in countering regional threats posed by North Korea and broader Indo-Pacific challenges.
U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Dan Kien remarked in his opening address, “We are lighting a shared path toward the future — a path where partnerships evolve through continued and regular engagement, from building capabilities to genuinely sharing responsibilities.”
Kien further noted that North Korea and China are pursuing “an unprecedented military buildup with a clear and unmistakable intent to advance their respective agendas. We must take this seriously.”
Meanwhile, in Malaysia, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya and South Korean Deputy Foreign Minister Park Yun-joo. According to a statement from South Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the three agreed to maintain strong deterrence against North Korea and enhance cooperation in areas including energy, shipbuilding, critical minerals, supply chain security, and artificial intelligence.
The meeting took place on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit in Kuala Lumpur, attended by top diplomats from the ten-member bloc and partner countries.
On a related front, ties between Pyongyang and Moscow have grown increasingly close. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is set to begin an official visit to North Korea on Friday, in a move that reflects deepening strategic cooperation, including a mutual defense agreement.
Russia’s state news agency reported that discussions are underway to schedule a visit by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to Russia, though Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov denied any confirmed plans at present.
