Japan and South Korea Plan to Restart Military Exchange Programs to Ease the Stalemate
According to Kyodo News on December 20, citing sources from Japanese and South Korean government officials, Japan's Ground Self-Defense Force and South Korea's Army plan to launch an exchange program for officer candidates in January of next year, aiming to resolve the stalemate in bilateral relations since October due to a sovereignty dispute over islands.
The report said that in the exchange program scheduled for January, Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force officer candidates will visit South Korea. Through visits to the demilitarized zone (DMZ) along the Korean-Demilitarized Zone and exchanges with South Korean military officer candidates, they aim to deepen mutual understanding.
According to Kyodo News, in October this year, Japan learned that South Korean Air Force aircraft conducted training flights near the Dokdo Islands (known as Takeshima by Japan), which are subject to a sovereignty dispute. The Japanese side then informed the South Korean side to suspend the provision of refueling support to South Korean Air Force aircraft at the Japan Air Self-Defense Force's Naha Base (Naha City). Since then, defense exchanges and cooperation between Japan and South Korea have been stalled.
On November 28, Japanese Defense Minister Shiozaki Shinji held talks in Tokyo's Ministry of Defense with South Korean Ambassador to Japan Lee Hee, and both sides reached an agreement on promoting exchanges between defense departments.
The Japanese and South Korean defense departments hope that the exchange program starting in January will ease the situation and promote the resumption of activities such as joint military training in the future.
Source: rfi
Original: toutiao.com/article/1852166915171337/
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