U.S. Japan 1600km land area Korea 400km fleet construction, Yoon Seok-yeol ‘Korea-Japan 100% restoration’
With the Korea-U.S.-Japan summit in San Francisco, the U.S. differentiated between sales of 1,600km surface-to-ground Tomahawks to Japan and 400km surface-to-air SM-6 missiles to Korea, but President Yoon Seok-yeol announced a ‘100% restoration of Korea and Japan.’
The U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) announced in a press release on the 17th that the Japanese government had requested and approved the purchase of 200 Tomahawk Block 4 missiles, 200 Block 5 missiles, and 14 Tomahawk Tactical Weapons Control Systems (TTWCS).
At the launch ceremony for the Aegis destroyer Jeongjo the Great at the Hyundai Shipyard on July 28 last year, the Navy had President Yoon's wife Kim Kun-hee cut the launch ship with an ax and revealed "the operation of SM-3 interceptor missiles and SM-6 surface-to-air missiles," and revealed that the U.S. SM-6 After introduction, installation was formalized.
At a summit with Prime Minister Kishida at a San Francisco hotel on the 16th, President Yoon said, “Following the first half of the year’s security policy consultation and economic and security dialogue, last month’s foreign and loan strategy dialogue has been resumed, and all inter-governmental consultative mechanisms agreed upon by the two countries in March have now been 100% restored.” He said.
Prime Minister Kishida responded by saying, “Together with President Yoon, we have been promoting cooperation between the two countries in various fields such as politics, security, economy, and culture. At the same time, with the world at a historic turning point, we will lead the world to cooperation rather than division and conflict.” “I have a strong intention to do so,” he said.
At the Korea-U.S.-Japan summit that followed, President Biden said, "Thanks to President Yoon and Prime Minister Kishida, I was able to greatly reduce my burden in carrying out my duties as President of the United States."
The President's Office's push for a Korea-China summit was canceled, and the China-Japan summit was held in San Francisco on the 17th.
Yomiuri said, “President Xi Jinping actively carried out bilateral talks during his stay,” and added, “Due to the tight schedule for attending international conferences, many countries, mainly major countries and developed countries, are choosing meeting partners, but President Xi Jinping is holding talks with countries such as Fiji and Brunei, regardless of their size. “I attended the meeting,” it was reported on the 19th.
Yomiuri continued, “At the summit with Fiji in the South Pacific, President Xi tried to attract countries that are swaying between great powers such as the United States and China, saying, ‘China has no self-interest in developing relations with Pacific island countries and does not hostility to third parties.’ “It is interpreted that he was trying to show ‘inclusiveness’ by meeting with rival countries such as the Philippines, Japan, and the United States, all of which have issues in the South China Sea, and opening the minds of both friends and enemies.”
Regarding President Xi's diplomacy in San Francisco, Yomiuri said, "In addition, we will actively hold talks with member countries of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), which China is aiming to join, such as Mexico and Peru, and provide strong support to create an environment favorable to China." “We used diplomacy,” he said.
The US State Department's decision to approve 'Foreign Military Sales (FMS)' requests the Congress to sell weapons to Japan, costing $2.35 billion, and is a large transaction that also includes training and technical support.
On the other hand, it was announced that South Korea's request to sell the SM-6 surface-to-air interceptor missile had been approved.
Sold to Korea, it has an interception altitude of 35 km and a maximum range of 400 km, making it impossible to intercept surface-to-surface missiles on the ground.
YTN said, “The amount proposed by the Lee administration is more than 850 billion won,” adding, “It is worth billions of won per missile, and the introduction date will be around 2025, when the new next-generation Aegis destroyer, King Jeongjo, is deployed. “Planned,” it was reported on the 18th.
A press release from the U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency said of the Japanese sale, “It will support U.S. foreign policy and national security objectives by strengthening the security of a key alliance for political stability and economic development in the Indo-Pacific region.” “It will enhance Japan’s ability to respond to current and future threats by providing long-range conventional surface-to-surface missiles with significant ranges that can be neutralized,” it said.
A statement from the U.S. State Department said on this day, "We support the diplomatic and security goals of the United States by strengthening the security of our allies, who are the driving force of political stability and economic development in the Indo-Pacific region."
Japan's introduction of the Tomahawk was initially announced as a plan to purchase 400 missiles over several years starting in 2026, but on the 4th of last month, Japan's Defense Minister Minoru Kihara announced, "We will acquire them a year early."
Nikkei reported that Defense Minister Kihara said this during the US-Japan defense talks with US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin.
Defense Minister Kihara said at a press conference after the meeting, “Due to the tense security environment, we have decided to advance the acquisition of the Tomahawk missiles by one year.”
400 Tomahawk missiles were traded to the United States as a support system to build a 'counterattack capability' embodied in the Japanese government's new security strategy.
Secretary of Defense Austin said at the meeting that day, “I look forward to working with Defense Minister Kihara to bring the alliance between our two countries closer during a time of challenges from China, North Korea, and Russia.”
At a meeting with Defense Minister Shin Won-sik and Defense Minister Kihara in Seoul on the 12th, Secretary of Defense Austin issued a joint statement expressing “concern over actions in the Taiwan Strait that do not comply with international law” and stated that “respect for international order is important” targeting China. did.
Secretary Austin continued at the US-ROK Security Council (SCM) press conference, saying, “North Korea’s continued destabilizing actions threaten the regional security environment and Chinese and Russian activities that undermine the rules-based international order.” order was discussed,” he said.
Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on the 17th, "The ministers of the three countries (South Korea, the United States, and Japan) emphasized the importance of a rules-based international order and expressed strong opposition to unilateral changes to the status quo through force or coercion. “We emphasized that peace and stability in the Strait are important,” he said. “As a member of the democratic camp, Taiwan will strengthen cooperation with like-minded countries such as the United States, Japan, and South Korea to protect democracy, freedom, and peace in the international community.” The Voice of America (VOA) said that the comment was made.
KBS said, “President Yoon Seok-yeol held a Korea-Japan summit with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and evaluated the relationship between the two countries, saying, ‘The intergovernmental consultative body has now been 100% restored.’” “The meeting between the leaders of Korea and Japan took place last September at the G20 ) It was reported on the 17th, “It has been only two months since the summit, and it is the 7th since last March this year.”
KBS continued to report, “The President’s Office explained that the three countries will cooperate based on the ‘Spirit of Camp David,’ a joint statement between South Korea, the United States, and Japan agreed to in the United States in August of this year.”