South Korea and Japan’s recent evacuation operations in the Middle East highlight a politically viable form of security cooperation, but one that remains confined to non-combat domains and does not extend to deeper military integration.

As coordination improves in humanitarian missions, it reveals both the potential and the structural limits of bilateral defense ties — limits that would become more consequential in a regional contingency.

OPERATIONAL TEST

On March 15, the ROK Air Force executed Operation Desert Shineby dispatching a KC-330 transport aircraft to evacuate 211 people, including 204 South Koreans, five family members of foreign nationalities and two