South Korea, US, Japan Commence Naval Exercise to Track Pyongyang’s Missiles

South Korea, the United States and Japan commenced a joint missile warning exercise on Tuesday, which would enable them to detect and track missiles launched from North Korea.

The trilateral exercise began its two-day run in the waters off South Korea and Japan, mobilizing four Aegis combat system-equipped ships from the three countries, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), according to Yonhap.

No actual missile will be fired for the latest exercise. The mobilized vessels will jointly detect and track a computer-simulated missile launch and share their information, the military said.

"The latest exercise is designed to prepare against growing nuclear and missile threats by North Korea in accordance with the agreement made during the 48th Security Consultative Meeting between South Korea and the US in October 2016," the JCS said.

It is the fifth joint missile warning drill involving the three countries since their first in June last year.