South Korea's Defense Minister An Gyu-baek and Japan's Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi met in Seoul on June 28 to discuss expanding cooperation in the Air Force Special Flight Teams and Navy search and rescue training, as well as enhancing collaboration in advanced scientific and technological fields, including artificial intelligence (AI).
According to the Ministry of National Defense, the two ministers reached this agreement during their meeting at the Defense Ministry headquarters in Yongsan, Seoul, and issued a joint press release outlining their commitments.
They plan to continue expanding exchanges between South Korea's Black Eagles and Japan's Blue Impulse, both of which are Air Force special flight teams, and to further develop Navy search and rescue training (SAREX) in preparation for various maritime accidents. Additionally, they agreed to discuss cooperation in advanced scientific and technological areas, including AI.
The ministers also committed to strengthening communication and collaboration to foster stable and future-oriented defense exchanges between South Korea and Japan, based on mutual understanding and trust.
This agreement follows the Black Eagles' first-ever stop at Japan's Air Self-Defense Force base in Naha while en route to participate in an international airshow in January. However, the Ministry clarified that the Black Eagles' stopover and refueling support in Japan are not yet formalized.
The two nations expressed their intent to continue expanding naval cooperation, particularly following the resumption of joint Navy search and rescue training earlier this month, the first such exercises in nine years since 2017.
In light of the serious regional security environment, the ministers agreed to maintain cooperation to ensure peace and stability, reaffirming their commitment to the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and the establishment of lasting peace, while continuing trilateral cooperation among South Korea, Japan, and the United States.
However, the issue of the Korea-Japan Mutual Logistics Support Agreement (ACSA) was not included in the official agenda of this meeting.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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