South Korea is to take part in a joint Japan-US missile defense exercise for the first time.
A South Korean Defense Ministry source says the military will send a vessel equipped with the Aegis radar system to the drill, to be held off Hawaii in late June.
The exercise will involve training in detecting and tracking ballistic missiles.
The source says South Korea decided to join the drill to better respond to threats posed by North Korea’s nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles.
The North’s recent nuclear and missile tests have prompted Seoul and Washington to discuss the possibility of deploying the state-of-the-art US missile interception system in South Korea.
The system is called the Terminal High Altitude Air Defense system. China strongly opposes the deployment.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hong Lei said on Monday that the situation on the Korean Peninsula remains complex and sensitive.
He called on the countries involved to make cool-headed responses and refrain from actions that would escalate the situation. (NHK World)
Link: http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20160516_25/
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