MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 19th May, 2022) South Korean National Security Adviser Kim Sung-han held a video call with his Japanese counterpart, Takeo Akiba, on Thursday to discuss bilateral relations against the backdrop of North Korean� missile launches.
"The two sides exchanged opinions on the recent situation in North Korea and North Korea's movements toward provocations, regional affairs and international issues, such as the situation in Ukraine," Kim's office was quoted by South Korean news agency Yonhap as saying.
The security advisers also discussed the need to "develop future-oriented relations" between the countries and trilateral security cooperation with the United States and agreed to maintain close consultations.
Relations between South Korea and Japan soared in 2018 after the South Korean Supreme Court ruled that Japan's Nippon Steel Corporation and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries reimburse Koreans forced to work in its factories during and after World War 2. In 2019, Japan responded by removing South Korea from its trade whitelist, a move it justified by claiming that Tokyo had national security concerns over South Korean exports of highly sensitive materials. Seoul did the same and threatened to withdraw from the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA), a pact on the exchange of intelligence between the countries.
Japan and South Korea also have claims to disputed territories, including the Dokdo/Takeshima islands, also known as the Liancourt Rocks, military drills in the vicinity of which often turn up the heat in bilateral relations.
North Korea has intensified launches of ballistic missiles and other unknown projectiles in 2022. Since the beginning of the year, Pyongyang launched 16 missiles, some of which it said were hypersonic.
