A Japanese SH-60K patrol helicopter lands on the South Korean warship Cheon Ja Bong during a joint search-and-rescue exercise in international waters southeast of Jeju Island, South Korea, June 7, 2026. (South Korean navy)
SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea and Japan resumed joint maritime search-and-rescue drills Sunday for the first time in nine years, ending a hiatus caused by years of political and military tensions.
The South Korean navy announced May 30 that the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force would participate in the exercise, known as SAREX, in international waters southeast of Jeju Island.
The training included the rescue of a distressed vessel, shipboard firefighting, emergency medical treatment and helicopter operations, according to the announcement and photos released Sunday by the South Korean navy.
South Korea deployed the 4,900-ton landing ship ROKS Cheon Ja Bong, while Japan contributed the 7,250-ton Aegis-equipped destroyer Kongo and a maritime patrol helicopter, the navy said.
South Korean and Japanese sailors fight a simulated fire on a distressed vessel during a joint search-and-rescue exercise in international waters southeast of Jeju Island, South Korea, June 7, 2026. (South Korean navy)
The biennial exercise began in 1999 to improve coordination between the neighboring countries during at-sea incidents near the Korean Peninsula.
The drills were suspended after 2017 as relations deteriorated over historical disputes and a series of military disagreements.
In 2018, Japan withdrew from an international fleet review hosted by South Korea after rejecting a request to participate without displaying its Rising Sun flag, which many South Koreans view as a symbol of Japanese militarism and colonial rule.
Later that year, Japan accused a South Korean destroyer, of locking fire-control radar onto a Japanese patrol aircraft near Japan’s Noto Peninsula, calling the incident a “hazardous act.”
South Korea denied the allegation and said the destroyer was conducting a search-and-rescue operation. Seoul also accused the Japanese aircraft of making a dangerous low-altitude pass over the vessel.
The two governments agreed to resume the drills during defense ministers’ talks in January and finalized plans during meetings on the sidelines of the Asia Security Summit last month, according to Japan’s Ministry of Defense.
