Senior naval commanders from the U.S., ROK and Japan met on Wednesday to discuss strengthening maritime security cooperation against North Korea’s advancing nuclear and missile threats.

ROK Navy Chief of Staff Adm. Kim Kyung-ryul first held separate talks with U.S. Pacific Fleet Commander Adm. Stephen Koehler and Adm. Saito Akira, chief of staff of Japan’s Maritime Self-Defense Force (MSDF), in Seoul on Wednesday, the South Korean navy said in a press release.

During the talks with Koehler, Kim discussed maintaining a strong U.S.-ROK combined defense posture and expanding cooperation in warship maintenance, repair and overhaul, as well as broader maritime