The heads of defense agencies of South Korea and Japan have reached an agreement on measures to prevent emergency situations at sea, which opens the way to strengthen bilateral security in the field of security.
South Korea defense ministers Tire Shik and Japan Minor Kihara have announced an agreement after negotiations at the Asian Security Forum "Shangri-la Dialogue" in Singapore.
According to the agreement, the parties pledged to establish permanent communication channels between the military in order to ensure the safe activity of warships and aircraft in adjacent waters.
Ministers have also agreed to intensify bilateral security negotiations to restore mutual trust and develop tripartite cooperation with the United States in the sphere of security against the background of increasing military threats by North Korea.
The need for constant connection between South Korea and Japan became especially relevant after the incident in December 2018, when the Japanese Marine Patrol aircraft flew a South Korean warship at low altitude, which caused a long dispute between countries.
Seoul condemned the approach of the aircraft as a threat to his ship, and Tokyo accused the South Korean vessel of illegal radar influence on the Japanese plane and an attempt to deactivate its radar of fire. This incident is considered a major obstacle to strengthening bilateral security cooperation.
