South Korea, the United States and Japan staged joint naval missile defence exercises on Monday (April 17) in a push to improve security cooperation and respond better to Pyongyang's evolving missile threats, Seoul's navy said.

The three countries agreed at talks in Washington on Friday (April 14) to hold regular missile defence and anti-submarine exercises in their efforts to boost diplomatic and military cooperation.

Monday's drills in international waters between Korea and Japan brought together South Korea's 7,600-tonne Aegis destroyer Yulgok Yi I, the U.S. guided-missile destroyer USS Benfold, and a Japanese Atago-class destroyer, also equipped with Aegis combat radar systems. The effort focuses on mastering response procedures, from detection and tracking to information sharing, by creating a virtual target in a scenario featuring a DPRK ballistic missile provocation, the South Korea's navy said.

DPRK announced on Friday it tested a new solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) that experts say would ease the way for missile launches with little warning, part of an increase in its military activities in recent weeks.

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