US, ROK, Japan hold air drills on countering North Korea after Lee meets Ishiba



News US, ROK, Japan hold air drills on countering North Korea after Lee meets Ishiba Trilateral exercise is first since Lee Jae-myung took office, pledging to continue military cooperation with Tokyo Joon Ha Park June 18, 2025 SHARE COPY LINK FACEBOOK X LINKEDIN MASTODON A ROK F-15K fighter jet takes off from Daegu airbase to join trilateral air drills near South Korea’s Jeju Island. \| Image: ROK Air Force (June 18, 2025) The U.S., South Korea, and Japan conducted a joint aerial exercise on countering North Korean nuclear threats near the Korean Peninsula on Wednesday, marking the first trilateral drill since ROK President Lee Jae-myung took office this month. According to a press release from the ROK air force, the exercise over international waters south of Jeju Island involved two South Korean F-15K fighter jets, six U.S. Air Force F-16s and two F-2 fighter jets from the Japan Air Self-Defense Force. The U.S., South Korea, and Japan conducted a joint aerial exercise on countering North Korean nuclear threats near the Korean Peninsula on Wednesday, marking the first trilateral drill since ROK President Lee Jae-myung took office this month. According to a press release from the ROK air force, the exercise over international waters south of Jeju Island involved two South Korean F-15K fighter jets, six U.S. Air Force F-16s and two F-2 fighter jets from the Japan Air Self-Defense Force. Try unlimited access Only $1 for four weeks Unlimited access to all of NK News: reporting, investigations, analysis Year-one discount if you continue past $1 trial period The NK News Daily Update, an email newsletter to keep you in the loop Searchable archive of all content, photo galleries, special columns Contact NK News reporters with tips or requests for reporting Get unlimited access to all NK News content, including original reporting, investigations, and analyses by our team of DPRK experts. Subscribe now All major cards accepted. No commitments – you can cancel any time. © Korea Risk Group. All rights reserved. No part of this content may be reproduced, distributed, or used for commercial purposes without prior written permission from Korea Risk Group. Get the Daily Update Start your day with the North Korea stories that matter most – as selected by And how should we address you in correspondence? One more step! Please check your inbox, for an email we just sent you, and click on the confirmation message in it to get subscribed to our Daily News Update. Trending

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US, ROK, Japan hold air drills on countering North Korea after Lee meets Ishiba

Trilateral exercise is first since Lee Jae-myung took office, pledging to continue military cooperation with Tokyo

Joon Ha Park June 18, 2025

US, ROK, Japan hold air drills on countering North Korea after Lee meets Ishiba

A ROK F-15K fighter jet takes off from Daegu airbase to join trilateral air drills near South Korea’s Jeju Island. | Image: ROK Air Force (June 18, 2025)

The U.S., South Korea, and Japan conducted a joint aerial exercise on countering North Korean nuclear threats near the Korean Peninsula on Wednesday, marking the first trilateral drill since ROK President Lee Jae-myung took office this month.

According to a press release from the ROK air force, the exercise over international waters south of Jeju Island involved two South Korean F-15K fighter jets, six U.S. Air Force F-16s and two F-2 fighter jets from the Japan Air Self-Defense Force.

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US, ROK, Japan hold air drills on countering North Korea after Lee meets Ishiba

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