United States, South Korean, and Japanese military forces have cooperated in a trilateral missile defense exercise — the first of its kind in years.
The drills began Aug. 8 and ran through Sunday, boasting the first formal cooperation of its kind since December 2017.
The exercise served to reassure the allied nations of their individual and joint commitments to mutual defense. Notably, the cooperation between South Korea and Japan could serve to ease cultural tensions that have lingered in recent years.
"When Korea-Japan relations move toward a common future and when the mission of our times align, based on our shared universal values, it will also help us solve the historical problems that exist between our two countries," said South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol.
