South Korean Defense Minister visits Japan for the first time in 15 years... Military cooperation ”institutionalized” at Japan-US-South Korea Defense Ministers' Meeting

South Korean Defense Minister Shin Won-sik will visit Tokyo on the 28th to participate in the Japan-US-ROK Defense Ministers' Meeting. This will be the first visit to Japan by a South Korean defense minister since the Japan-ROK Defense Ministers' Meeting in 2009.
It has been 15 years since the last meeting. On the 22nd, the South Korean Ministry of National Defense said, "This meeting is being held in Japan for the first time, in accordance with an agreement between the three countries to host the Japan-US-South Korea Defense Ministers' Meeting in June in turn."
"South Korean Defense Minister Shin Won-sik, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, and Defense Minister Minoru Kihara are scheduled to attend the Japan-U.S.-ROK Defense Ministers' Meeting as representatives of each country," he said.
At the meeting, the three ministers are scheduled to discuss issues such as North Korea's nuclear and missile threats and an assessment of the regional security situation, ways to cooperate in these areas, and ways to strengthen and institutionalize Japan-US-ROK security cooperation.
The Ministry of National Defense explained that the three countries' defense ministers' meeting is also scheduled to be used as an opportunity to hold defense ministerial meetings between the US and South Korea and between Japan and South Korea. Since their summit in August last year, the three countries have not planned to conduct any new joint exercises.
In June of this year, at a defense ministers' meeting and other forums, it was decided that North Korean missile warning information would be shared in real time 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
The Japan-US-ROK Defense Ministers' Meeting was held on June 2nd, the first since the Asia Security Summit (Shangri-La Dialogue) in Singapore.
At that time, the defense ministers of the three countries agreed to establish the Trilateral Security Cooperation Framework (TSCF) by the end of the year in order to institutionalize security cooperation.
It is highly likely that the two countries will sign the "Agreement."