(ATTN: UPDATES story with more details from outcome of talks from 5th para; RESTORES previous material; ADDS byline, photos)
By Kim Seung-yeon
SEOUL, June 28 (Yonhap) — The top defense chiefs of South Korea and Japan agreed Sunday to continue efforts to deepen bilateral exchanges and cooperation, including in advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), Seoul’s defense ministry said.
The two sides affirmed the shared commitment following talks between Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back and Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi in Seoul, as the two sides seek to bolster defense cooperation amid improving bilateral ties.
“The two ministers agreed to continue advancing exchanges and cooperation between the aerobatic teams of the two countries — South Korea’s Black Eagles and Japan’s Blue Impulse,” a joint press statement released after the talks said.
“They also agreed to further develop search and rescue exercises for various maritime contingencies and to push for greater cooperation in advanced science and technology fields, including AI,” it added.
Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back (2nd from L) and Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi walk together during an official welcoming ceremony ahead of their talks at the South Korean defense ministry headquarters in Yongsan, Seoul, on June 28, 2026. (Pool photo) (Yonhap)
Koizumi arrived in Seoul the previous day for a two-day visit — his first trip as defense minister — reciprocating Ahn’s visit to Japan in January for talks with his Japanese counterpart.
His trip came as South Korea and Japan are seeking to build on the positive momentum in defense ties to further cement their cooperation.
The references to the aerobatic teams and search and rescue drills in the joint statement likely signal their willingness to bolster interactions in non-combat fields, rather than direct military exchanges deemed sensitive to many South Koreans, given the history of Japan’s 1910-45 colonial rule of Korea.
Earlier this month, the two countries resumed their joint maritime search and rescue exercises (SAREX) for the first time in nine years, after resolving a 2018 dispute over a Japanese patrol aircraft’s low-altitude flyby over a South Korean warship.
Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back (2nd from L) and Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi (third from L) review an honor guard during an official welcoming ceremony ahead of their talks, held at the South Korean defense ministry headquarters in Yongsan, Seoul, on June 28, 2026. (Pool photo) (Yonhap)
The commitment to expanding cooperation between the aerobatic teams is also seen as a step forward.
Japan had rejected to provide refueling support to the Black Eagles in November last year, citing one of the aircraft’s participation in a routine drill over South Korea’s easternmost islets of Dokdo. Japan has long laid territorial claims over the outcroppings.
The Black Eagles refueled at a Japanese air base two months later after Ahn and Koizumi agreed to settle the matter during phone talks in December.
On Saturday, Koizumi and Ahn toured the Black Eagles unit together at an air base in Gangwon Province.
In Sunday’s talks, the ministers also reaffirmed their commitment to the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and establishing lasting peace in the region, the statement said.
“The ministers shared the view that cooperation should continue to ensure regional peace and stability amid the grave security landscape,” it said. “They agreed to continue coordination at the bilateral level and also trilaterally among South Korea, the United States and Japan.”
Sunday’s talks came less than a month after their previous meeting on the margins of a security forum in Singapore.
Following the talks, the ministers were set to take part in a discussion with young people from both countries at a defense think tank and play a friendly table tennis match to reflect their close ties.
Koizumi also plans to meet with Foreign Minister Cho Hyun later in the day, according to diplomatic sources.
elly@yna.co.kr
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