Home > National > Defense

South Korea, U.S., Japan conduct trilateral naval drills against North Korean threats

Published: 20 Mar. 2025, 18:12 Updated: 20 Mar. 2025, 18:20

The USS Carl Vinson arrives at a key naval base in the southeastern city of Busan on March 2. [YONHAP]

South Korea, the United States and Japan have conducted combined naval drills, involving the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier, Seoul's defense ministry said Thursday, in efforts to better deter and counter North Korea's military threats.

The trilateral naval drills — the first such exercise conducted this year and since U.S. President Donald Trump returned to office in January — took place in international waters south of the southern resort island of Jeju from Monday through Thursday, the ministry said.

In addition to the USS Carl Vinson, the latest exercise involved six more warships from the three sides, including the South Korean Navy's ROKS Sejong the Great destroyer and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force's JS Ikazuchi destroyer.

“The exercise focused on enhancing trilateral cooperation for South Korea, the U.S. and Japan's deterrence and response capabilities against North Korea's nuclear, missile and underwater threats and ... bolstering their maritime security capacity,” the ministry said in a release.

The exercise was part of regular drills conducted under a multi-year training plan jointly established by the three sides, it added.

The three nations last conducted joint maritime defense drills during the second round of their trilateral multidomain Freedom Edge exercise held in November last year.

The three countries have recently stepped up security cooperation through combined drills in the face of North Korea's evolving nuclear and missile threats.

Yonhap