Seoul's defense ministry considering holding ministerial-level talks with China, Japan

한중 한일 국방장관회담추진… 군사 정상화 본격 논의

Seoul is hoping to patch up strained security ties with Beijing and Tokyo... by holding ministerial-level defense talks.
The government aims to materialize those sessions ahead of the three-day Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia's biggest security forum set to be held in Singapore next week.
Kim Ji-yeon fills us in on the latest.
Dialogue is key when it comes to healing relationships,... and that's what seems to be the goal of Seoul's defense ministry as it seeks to improve soured military relations with neighboring countries.
South Korea's defense ministry said Tuesday it's seeking to hold ministerial-level meetings with China and Japan.
If a ministerial-level meeting with China takes place... it would be the first time such a meeting takes place in over a year-and-a-half... after ties between Seoul and Beijing went cold following a diplomatic row stemming from Beijing's opposition to Seoul's decision to deploy the U.S. THAAD missile defense system on the Korean peninsula.
Seoul's defense ministry confirmed the hotline between South Korean and Chinese militaries, which hadn't been operational due to the THAAD issue, is once again fully working.
Official communication channels are also being restored... as seen in the bilateral working-level talks between the two countries held last May.
The South Korean navy sent two frigates to China's port city of Qingdao to mark the 70th anniversary of the founding of the Navy of the People's Liberation Army last month.
Efforts are also being made to restore military ties between South Korea and Japan... which worsened after Tokyo claimed a South Korean warship locked its radar onto a low-flying Japanese maritime patrol aircraft late last year... a statement Seoul has strongly denied.
The need for continuous dialogue was highlighted during a trilateral defense meeting held in Seoul earlier this month,... with Seoul and Tokyo agreeing that special emphasis must be placed in issues regarding North Korean threats as well as maintaining regional stability and safety.
In addition, Japan's recent conciliatory gesture is seen as a major reason kindling a sense of cooperation, as Japanese Defense Minister Takeshi Iwaya reportedly said he wants to bring Tokyo's relationship with Seoul back to normal.
A ministerial-level meeting between the two countries would be the first since last October.
Kim Ji-yeon, Arirang News.