South Korea, the United States and Japan will hold their first joint military drills focused on tracking missile launches from North Korea, according to media reports.
The exercises, which will involve Aegis destroyers from the three nations, will take place in late June off Hawaii, South Korea's Defense Ministry said in a text message Monday, according to Bloomberg.
It will not involve missile-interception training, The Associated Press reported, citing a South Korean official who spoke on condition of anonymity, citing department rules.
The three countries made an intelligence-gathering pact in 2014 in response to growing nuclear and missile threats from North Korea.
Last month, North Korea claimed to have successfully launched a ballistic missile from a submarine, dismissing a South Korean report that the test failed. A series of nuclear and missile tests have resulted in U.N. sanctions against North Korea.
The United States regularly holds military drills with South Korea and Japan, which host about 80,000 American troops.
