Key Points
Trilateral naval drills target North Korea's nuclear and missile threats
USS Carl Vinson leads joint maritime exercise
Six warships from three nations participate in Liberty Focus drills
The trilateral naval drills -- the first such exercise conducted this year and since US President Donald Trump returned to office in January -- took place in international waters south of the southern resort island of Jeju from Monday through Thursday, the ministry said.
In addition to the USS Carl Vinson, the latest exercise involved six more warships from the three sides, including the South Korean Navy's ROKS Sejong the Great destroyer and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force's JS Ikazuchi destroyer, reports Yonhap news agency.
"The exercise focused on enhancing trilateral cooperation for South Korea, the US and Japan's deterrence and response capabilities against North Korea's nuclear, missile and underwater threats and...bolstering their maritime security capacity," the ministry said in a release.
The exercise was part of regular drills conducted under a multi-year training plan jointly established by the three sides, it added.
According to the ministry, the annual Liberty Focus exercise concluded on Thursday after a four-day run.
Both sides conducted scenario-based tabletop and field training exercises and held follow-up discussions on combined CBR operations and cooperation, it added.
The latest training was conducted in conjunction with the allies' springtime Freedom Shield exercise that concluded Thursday after an 11-day run.
The three nations last conducted joint maritime drills during the second round of their trilateral multidomain Freedom Edge exercise held in November last year.
The three countries have recently stepped up security cooperation through combined drills in the face of North Korea's evolving nuclear and missile threats.
