(LEAD) S. Korea, Japan to resume joint maritime search drills early next month: Seoul defense chief

South Korea and Japan Resume Joint Maritime Search and Rescue Drills After Nine-Year Halt

South Korea and Japan resumed their joint maritime search and rescue exercises (SAREX) on Sunday, marking the first such drill in nine years, according to the South Korean Navy. The exercise was conducted by the South Korean Navy and Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force in international waters southeast of Jeju Island.

The drill involved the South Korean Navy's 4,900-ton ROKS Cheon Ja Bong landing ship, Japan's 7,250-ton Aegis-equipped Kongo destroyer, and a Japanese maritime patrol helicopter, the Navy said.

The resumption was announced in May by South Korean Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back during bilateral talks with Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi on the sidelines of the Asia Security Summit, also known as the Shangri-La Dialogue, in Singapore. Ahn described the resumption as "highly symbolic and declaratory," reflecting improving bilateral relations.

The two defense ministers had agreed to restart the drills when they met in Tokyo in January. The schedule was then disclosed during the Shangri-La Dialogue talks last month.

Launched in 1999, the biennial SAREX exercise was designed to train procedures for coordinated responses between naval ships from both countries in the event of maritime incidents in waters near the Korean Peninsula. However, the drills had been suspended since the 10th round in 2017.

The suspension followed a dispute over a Japanese maritime patrol aircraft making an unusually low-altitude flyby over a South Korean warship in December 2018. Seoul decried the approach as a "menacing" flight, while Tokyo accused the South Korean vessel of having locked its fire-control radar on the plane. The two countries agreed to prevent a recurrence of such a spat during defense ministers' talks in June 2024 under the previous Yoon Suk Yeol government, amid a broader warming of bilateral relations.

Ahead of the Singapore talks, Ahn described the expanding exchanges at the defense ministerial level as "ping-pong diplomacy," calling the development another milestone in their bilateral ties.

Koizumi, for his part, emphasized the importance of Japan and South Korea taking a leading role in promoting peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region, including through the U.S.-Japan alliance, the U.S.-ROK alliance, and broader strategic cooperation to maintain and strengthen deterrence and response capabilities.