SEOUL, Dec 19, 2023 (BSS/AFP) - South Korea, the United States and Japan on

Tuesday activated a system to share real-time data on North Korean missile
launches, Seoul's defence ministry said, as the three countries seek to
bolster security cooperation against the nuclear-armed North.

The announcement came a day after Pyongyang conducted its third test launch
of its Hwasong-18 intercontinental ballistic missile, the largest weapon in
its arsenal.

"The full operational capability of the real-time sharing system for North
Korean missile warning data was confirmed through a recent pre-evaluation and
is currently in normal operation," the ministry said in a statement.

"The three countries established the system to ensure the safety of its
citizens... by detecting and evaluating missiles launched by North Korea in
real time," it added.

The data-sharing system was part of an agreement between the defence chiefs
of the three countries last month, which also included setting up multi-year
plans for trilateral military exercises.

The ministers were following up on agreements reached by their leaders at a
three-way summit hosted by US President Joe Biden at Camp David in August.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, who personally oversaw the latest launch,
said it demonstrated options that Pyongyang would take "when Washington makes
the wrong decision".

Seoul and Washington have ramped up defence cooperation in the face of a
record-breaking series of weapons tests by Pyongyang this year.

South Korea's conservative government of President Yoon Suk Yeol has also
made a concerted effort to improve historically strained ties with Japan, the
country's former colonial ruler.

The Camp David meeting marked the first time the three leaders had met for a
standalone summit, rather than on the sidelines of a larger event.