South Korean Minister of National Defense Shin Won-sik leaves for the 2024 Asia Security Summit in Singapore on Thursday. (Yonhap)
SINGAPORE -- South Korea and Japan are in the final stages of arranging a bilateral defense ministers dialogue in Singapore, according to Seoul military sources on Friday.
South Korea’s Minister of National Defense Shin Won-sik will likely meet his Japanese counterpart Minoru Kihara on Saturday on the sidelines of the Asia Security Summit, also known as the Shangri-La Dialogue, according to officials.
If it proceeds, the bilateral meeting would precede a trilateral meeting of South Korea, Japan and the US defense chiefs set to take place Sunday.
Among the key items on the agenda at the trilateral meeting would be strengthening three-way cooperation in response to North Korean threats, against the backdrop of Pyongyang’s failed attempt to launch a second spy satellite and missile firings this week.
Since the mid-flight explosion of what would have been its second spy satellite late Monday, North Korea has staged a series of provocations ranging from launching short-range missiles to flying balloons filled with feces and compact discs containing propaganda into the South.
For three days in a row on Friday, North Korea attempted to jam navigation or GPS signals in South Korea’s northwestern region, while no meaningful disruption was caused as a result, according to the South Korean military.
The South Korean military has warned North Korea may try to send more balloons carrying trash over the weekend when the wind is expected to blow toward the South.
South Korea and China may hold off on a high-level military meeting at Shangri-La Dialogue as a security dialogue between the defense and foreign affairs ministries of the two countries is already slated for mid-June.
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