North Korea’s hypersonic missile has alarmed Seoul, the US and Japan

South Korea, the United States and Japan conducted joint naval maneuvers in the southern waters of the peninsula, involving the participation of a US nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, following the recent test launch of a new hypersonic missile by North Korea which increased regional tension.

The exercises took place in the waters near Jeju Island, in the southwest of the peninsula, between Monday and Wednesday, with the participation of nine ships from three countries, including nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson, as reported by ESouth Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) it’s a statement.

On the American side, the destroyers USS Kidd and USS Steret and the missile cruiser USS Princeton participated, while South Korea deployed the destroyers ROK Sejong El Grande and ROK Wang Geon, and Japan its destroyer JS Kongo.

The maneuvers revealed today began a day later North Korea conducted a test launch of what it said was a solid-fueled medium-range ballistic missile armed with a hypersonic warhead, a new addition to its arsenal in the first such test in 2024.

“The exercises aim to strengthen the deterrence and response capabilities of the three nations against the nuclear and missile threat from North Korea,” as well as against other maritime threats, such as weapons shipments, the JCS said in a statement.

These joint exercises are the first he performs Seoul, Washington and Tokyo since they launched a real-time information sharing system on North Korean launches and after agreeing to jointly establish a multi-year exercise plan to counter Pyongyang’s development.

During the first day last Monday, Admiral Kim Myung-soo, Chief of the General Staff of South Koreahe visited the US aircraft carrier and emphasized the importance of the maneuvers, also promising to intensify the combined action according to the agreement.

This new development in North Korean weapons has heightened concerns and tensions in the region, as hypersonic and solid-fuel missiles are easier to maneuver and are considered more difficult to detect and shoot down.

This latest weapons test was accompanied by words spoken on Monday by the North’s leader, Kim Jong-un, who called for the removal in the constitution of any reference to the possibility of reunification with the South, which he has declared to be the country’s main enemy. .

The message is the sharpest addressed to Seoul during his tenure and represents a new example of the deep diplomatic turnaround Pyongyang is pushing for.