Information-Sharing System on DPRK Missiles Expected Soon; Japan, South Korea Radar Systems to be Linked Via U.S.

By Kazuki Koike / Yomiuri Shimbun Correspondent

20:58 JST, November 9, 2023

SEOUL — A real-time system for sharing information related to North Korean missiles among Japan, the United States and South Korea is expected to be completed this month, it has been learned.

The plan is for the system to be fully operational by year-end, strengthening deterrence against North Korea. An official announcement will be made soon by the three countries’ governments.

Multiple diplomatic sources from Japan, the United States and South Korea have confirmed the development. U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin is set to participate next Monday in the U.S.-South Korea Security Consultative Meeting (SCM) in South Korea, and announcing the system’s completion shortly before or after this meeting is being considered.

The sharing of missile-related information was agreed upon during the three-country summit in November last year, and discussions have been ongoing. The system connects the radar systems of Japan and South Korea via the United States, and in August of this year, a test of the command-and-control system was conducted.

The ability to immediately gain South Korea’s radar information near North Korea is expected to enhance Japan’s interception capabilities and the precision of its warning systems.