South Korea and Japan seek to get closer under the threat of Pyongyang

First modification: 03/16/2023 – 09:41

With our correspondent in Seoul, Nicolas Rocca.

The historic summit between South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida was supposed to revolve around issues of memory and defense. By launching a long-range ballistic missile on Thursday, North Korea guaranteed itself to be at the center of the discussions.

The aim of Tokyo and Seoul is to end years of differences and improve their communication, especially in the military field. Specifically, the two US allies have agreed to share information about North Korean missile launches automatically and in real time.

military collaboration

“When an event occurs, having the information accessed by everyone without human interference is a huge advantage. Because the North Koreans can get a missile to hit a target in South Korea in three to five minutes. So if we can By having 10 to 15 seconds more warning time, we improve our security and our chances of survival,” said Chun In-bum, a retired general and former head of South Korea’s special forces.

With Pyongyang’s military capabilities vastly improved in the past five years, and amid rising tensions with China, Washington wants Tokyo and Seoul to put aside their historic differences in favor of effective military collaboration.

After proposing a compensation plan for the victims of the Japanese colonization of the peninsula without the participation of Japanese companies, South Korea is undoubtedly expecting a gesture in return from Tokyo.