US, Asian allies launch system to track North Korea missiles in
real-time
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[December 19, 2023]
By Soo-hyang Choi
SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea, the United States and Japan said on
Tuesday they have activated a new system to detect and assess North
Korea's missile launches in real-time.
The announcement comes after North Korea said it had tested the isolated
state's newest intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) on Monday to
gauge the war readiness of its nuclear force against mounting U.S.
hostility.
Here is what we know about the new missile warning data sharing system:
WHAT INFORMATION IS BEING SHARED?
Under the new mechanism, the three countries will share information on
the launch site, flight trajectory and hitting point of North Korean
missiles around the clock, South Korean Defence Minister Shin Won-sik
said.
The United States had until now shared such information separately with
South Korea and Japan.
"We will have warning data on North Korean missiles much faster, and be
able to secure enough time to respond effectively," Shin said in an
interview with broadcaster MBN on Monday.
WHY IS IT BEING SHARED?
Washington and its allies call the new mechanism a milestone that will
advance their trilateral security cooperation and improve the ability to
ensure the safety of their people.
The information sharing is expected to help them to respond more quickly
to North Korea's growing nuclear and missile threats.
Monday's missile launch marked the North's fifth ICBM test this year in
what Pyongyang described as a demonstration of the nuclear-armed state's
"will for toughest counteraction and its overwhelming strength."
"This is a significant expression of just how far trilateral cooperation
has come, in no small part due to the growing threat from North Korea,"
said Ankit Panda, a senior fellow at the U.S.-based Carnegie Endowment
for International Peace.
"In practical terms, this will enhance the fidelity with which both
Japan and South Korea can assess missile events originating in North
Korea," he said.
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North Korean leader Kim Jong Un views the launch of a Hwasong-18
intercontinental ballistic missile during what North Korea says is a
drill at an unknown location December 18, 2023 in this picture
released by the Korean Central News Agency. KCNA via REUTERS
WHY WAS SUCH DATA NOT SHARED BEFORE?
Relations between the two Asian U.S. allies had been strained over
historical issues and other disputes.
But South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has made it a priority to
mend ties since taking office in May 2022 as North Korea ramps up
development of its weapons programs and openly threatens the South.
"There have always been people opposed to information sharing
between South Korea and Japan, in both countries. But with the
threats from North Korea we are seeing now, when Japanese people are
taking shelter (due to the missiles), who would say no?" said Shin
Jong-woo, a senior researcher at the Korea Defense & Security Forum.
Japan's chief cabinet secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said on Tuesday
real-time missile information sharing started a new chapter for
defense cooperation between Japan, South Korea and the United
States, which was "essential" for regional security.
Panda of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace said the new
mechanism was a safeguard against politics blowing cooperation off
course.
"The institutionalization of this mechanism will also make it more
robust against possible domestic political changes in South Korea or
Japan that could pose headwinds for trilateral cooperation in the
future," said Panda.
HOW HAS NORTH KOREA RESPONDED?
North Korea has slammed the new information sharing system as part
U.S. efforts to incite confrontation and boost its military edge in
the region.
"Such a scheme for a tripartite data-sharing mechanism led by the
U.S. is evidently a dangerous military action to drive the regional
situation to a more serious phase of confrontation," the North's
state media said last week.
(Reporting by Soo-hyang Choi, Josh Smith and Ju-min Park; Editing by
Ed Davies and Louise Heavens)
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