In their first bilateral defense ministerial talks in over three years, South Korea’s defense minister Lee Jong-sup and Japan’s defense minister Yasukazu Hamada agreed on Sunday to expedite discussions to prevent future radar lock-on incidents between their military forces. Although the two defense ministers apparently prioritized improving defense cooperation, it is worth noting that neither South Korea nor Japan has changed their respective positions regarding the 2018 radar lock-on incident. Tokyo claims a South Korean navy destroyer directed its fire-control radar onto its patrol plane in the East Sea (Sea of Japan) in Dec. 2018. On the other hand, Seoul counters that its destroyer was merely using its radar to search for a drifting North Korean fishing boat in the area, and the Japanese plane flew at a low altitude near the warship.

To advance the “future-focused” vision for bilateral relations shared by South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, the defense ministers of both nations have committed to enhancing their communication pathways for security cooperation. Furthermore, they’ve agreed to establish strategies to prevent similar conflicts from arising in the future.