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▼ ROK Military Welcomes Sharing Intel With Japan On North Korean Missile Launches
- Category:Event
Official says cooperation would improve responses, after media report that two sides look to share real-time radar data
The South Korean military assessed that sharing more information with Japan on North Korean missile launches would improve ROK responses to such tests, after Japanese media reported that the two neighbors could start sharing real-time radar intelligence by the end of this year.
Citing unnamed Japanese government officials, the Yomiuri Shimbun reported Sunday that Seoul and Tokyo are working on a plan to connect their missile detection systems via the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM) to fill gaps in their missile detection and analysis.
Go Myong-hyun, a research fellow at Seoul’s Asan Institute for Policy Studies, said the move would boost interception capabilities and help better deter North Korea.
Ryo Hinata-Yamaguchi, a project assistant professor at the University of Tokyo’s Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, agreed.
“The biggest mutual benefit for Japan and South Korea is that it will enhance the accuracy of detecting and tracking the missiles and that would be essential for both interception and counterstrikes,” he told NK News.
The two governments have yet to confirm the news, but an ROK army official said during a press briefing on Monday that such an agreement would flow from November’s trilateral summit between Joe Biden, Yoon Suk-yeol and Fumio Kishida, answering a question about the Japanese report.
The three leaders expressed their intent to share real-time data to improve the allies’ “ability to detect and assess the threat posed by incoming missiles” at the November meeting.
“We think our response will be improved by acquiring and sharing more accurate information on the expected launch point, flight direction and landing point of missiles launched by North Korea,” the ROK official added.
While the two countries share real-time information with the U.S., the lack of direct coordination between South Korea and Japan and technical differences sometimes result in contradictory missile information.
“The different locations of Japanese and South Korean sensors over the horizon have often led to mismatches in the number of North Korean missiles and their range,” said Hinata-Yamaguchi.
An example of this came on June 5, 2022, when the ROK military announced that North Korea had launched eight ballistic missiles. Meanwhile, Japan initially reported “at least six” missiles, and five days later revised its estimate to eight.
Enabling real-time information sharing will help Japan and South Korea eliminate these inconsistencies, but Asan Institute’s Go notes that the frequent ups and downs of bilateral relations remain a major barrier.
“This is an agreement and as such is vulnerable to political swings in both Seoul and Tokyo,” he said, but added that this proposal is a necessary first step before the two sides can “institutionalize” the arrangement.
South Korea and Japan’s cooperation on North Korean issues has often been hampered by long-standing tensions over historical disputes related to Japan’s wartime activities in Korea, including the use of forced labor.
In Aug. 2019, South Korea announced that it would terminate the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA) with Japan amid bilateral tensions, although President Moon Jae-in’s administration later backtracked in November that year by “conditionally” suspending the pact’s expiration.
But current leader Yoon Suk-yeol has prioritized efforts to strengthen relations with Tokyo, as well as the trilateral alliance between the two sides and Washington.
The South Korean military assessed that sharing more information with Japan on North Korean missile launches would improve ROK responses to such tests, after Japanese media reported that the two neighbors could start sharing real-time radar intelligence by the end of this year.
Citing unnamed Japanese government officials, the Yomiuri Shimbun reported Sunday that Seoul and Tokyo are working on a plan to connect their missile detection systems via the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM) to fill gaps in their missile detection and analysis.
Go Myong-hyun, a research fellow at Seoul’s Asan Institute for Policy Studies, said the move would boost interception capabilities and help better deter North Korea.
Ryo Hinata-Yamaguchi, a project assistant professor at the University of Tokyo’s Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, agreed.
“The biggest mutual benefit for Japan and South Korea is that it will enhance the accuracy of detecting and tracking the missiles and that would be essential for both interception and counterstrikes,” he told NK News.
The two governments have yet to confirm the news, but an ROK army official said during a press briefing on Monday that such an agreement would flow from November’s trilateral summit between Joe Biden, Yoon Suk-yeol and Fumio Kishida, answering a question about the Japanese report.
The three leaders expressed their intent to share real-time data to improve the allies’ “ability to detect and assess the threat posed by incoming missiles” at the November meeting.
“We think our response will be improved by acquiring and sharing more accurate information on the expected launch point, flight direction and landing point of missiles launched by North Korea,” the ROK official added.
While the two countries share real-time information with the U.S., the lack of direct coordination between South Korea and Japan and technical differences sometimes result in contradictory missile information.
“The different locations of Japanese and South Korean sensors over the horizon have often led to mismatches in the number of North Korean missiles and their range,” said Hinata-Yamaguchi.
An example of this came on June 5, 2022, when the ROK military announced that North Korea had launched eight ballistic missiles. Meanwhile, Japan initially reported “at least six” missiles, and five days later revised its estimate to eight.
Enabling real-time information sharing will help Japan and South Korea eliminate these inconsistencies, but Asan Institute’s Go notes that the frequent ups and downs of bilateral relations remain a major barrier.
“This is an agreement and as such is vulnerable to political swings in both Seoul and Tokyo,” he said, but added that this proposal is a necessary first step before the two sides can “institutionalize” the arrangement.
South Korea and Japan’s cooperation on North Korean issues has often been hampered by long-standing tensions over historical disputes related to Japan’s wartime activities in Korea, including the use of forced labor.
In Aug. 2019, South Korea announced that it would terminate the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA) with Japan amid bilateral tensions, although President Moon Jae-in’s administration later backtracked in November that year by “conditionally” suspending the pact’s expiration.
But current leader Yoon Suk-yeol has prioritized efforts to strengthen relations with Tokyo, as well as the trilateral alliance between the two sides and Washington.
NEW NUCLEAR AND WMD RESPONSE CENTER
Meanwhile, the ROK Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) on Monday established a new response center aimed at countering North Korea’s nuclear weapons and weapons of mass destruction (WMD), following a proposal in November to expand existing capabilities.
Local media reported ahead of the launch that the Directorate of Countering Nuclear and WMD will oversee the development of South Korea’s “Three-Axis” defense system comprising the “Kill Chain” preemptive strike system, air and missile defenses, and plans to destroy North Korea’s core facilities in the event of a nuclear attack.
Operating directly under the JCS chairperson, the new headquarters will also be responsible for strengthening South Korea’s military capabilities in the cyber, electromagnetic and space domains.
- January 2, 2023
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