South Korea, Japan and the U.S. are set to hold joint military drills from 9-11 September, to test their readiness against North Korea's missile and nuclear threats, Seoul announced on Friday.
The exercise comes as South Korea’s National Security Adviser, Wi Sung-lac, said the country supports U.S. President Donald Trump's push to restart dialogue with North Korea, but wants to make sure its own security posture isn't weakened and that Seoul isn't left on the sidelines of any negotiations.
"One point to keep in mind is the need to coordinate with the United States to ensure that any resumption of U.S.-North Korea dialogue leads to substantive progress on the North Korean nuclear issue, alongside efforts to establish a peace regime on the Korean Peninsula," Wi said.
Wi pointed to Trump's decision earlier this month to significantly scale back major joint military exercises between Seoul and Washington as a sign the U.S. President was open to re-engaging with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, whom he met three times in 2018 and 2019.
Trump partly justified the reduced Ulchi Freedom Shield drills by citing South Korea's refusal to assist in the Iran conflict, arguing the shortened exercise had sent the wrong signal to Pyongyang.
Despite backing renewed engagement, Wi made clear that Seoul didn’t want to be excluded from talks shaping its own security future.
He added that South Korea was also seeking to deepen cooperation with Washington across several issues that have periodically strained relations between the two allies.
These include South Korean investment commitments made under a recent trade deal, the treatment of U.S.-listed e-commerce company Coupang, as well as broader security cooperation, intelligence sharing, and the eventual transfer of wartime operational control of South Korean forces from the U.S. to Seoul.
The upcoming trilateral drills with Japan are expected to test the two allies' combined response capabilities against North Korea's evolving missile arsenal.
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Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that he thinks there is a chance of a peace being reached with Ukraine. He told the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, Russia that he believed there was "a chance of finding a solution," to the conflict.
The Iranian Health Ministry said at least 18 people were killed and 142 others injured in U.S. airstrikes carried out between 30 August and 2 September.
U.S. negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will visit Russia then Ukraine over the weekend, Russian state news agency TASS has reported, citing an unnamed source. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has also said American envoys will visit the capitals of both countries.
Start your day informed with the AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top stories for the 3rd of September, covering the latest developments.
The Iranian Army has again struck at U.S. bases in Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates in retaliation for U.S. attacks on southern and western parts of Iran late on Tuesday, which reportedly killed 18 people and injured more than 100 others.
U.S. negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will visit Russia then Ukraine over the weekend, Russian state news agency TASS has reported, citing an unnamed source. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has also said American envoys will visit the capitals of both countries.
Southern Chinese provinces were bracing for more torrential rain on Friday after Typhoon Saudel triggered severe flooding, swamping vehicles, collapsing at least one building and forcing mass evacuations.
President Donald Trump is leaving more than a paper trail from his time in office. The U.S. is now minting commemorative $1 coins for America’s 250th anniversary, featuring a portrait of the sitting president.
Pacific Island leaders expressed concern about China's Pacific missile test at their annual summit, though Nauru formally dissented, in a meeting largely overshadowed by Beijing's objections to Taiwan's presence.
China’s southern coastal provinces of Fujian and Guangdong are bracing for more torrential rain after Typhoon Saudel triggered widespread flooding, swept away vehicles and caused a three-storey building to collapse.
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