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Defense chiefs of S. Korea, U.S., Japan to hold virtual talks this month: report

February 7, 2022

 South Korea, the United States and Japan will hold a trilateral defense ministerial meeting via video links this month to discuss measures in response to North Korea’s recent missile launches, according to a news report Monday.

Senior defense officials of the three countries agreed to hold the virtual talks during their three-way phone call Friday, Kyodo News reported, citing a Japanese government official.

The defense chiefs had planned to meet last month, but it was postponed due to the spread of the omicron variant of COVID-19. The last defense ministerial meeting between the three countries took place in November 2019.

North Korea has staged seven rounds of missile launches this year, including the firing of an intermediate-range ballistic missile late last month, prompting a series of dialogue between South Korea, the U.S. and Japan.

Their planned virtual meeting came as the top diplomats of the three countries are scheduled to meet in Hawaii on Saturday.

In this file photo taken Jan. 30, 2022, a news report on North Korea's launch of an intermediate-range ballistic missile is aired on a television at Seoul Station. (Yonhap)

In this file photo taken Jan. 30, 2022, a news report on North Korea’s launch of an intermediate-range ballistic missile is aired on a television at Seoul Station. (Yonhap)