The military of the Republic of Korea, the United States and Japan plan to organize joint exercises to search for and track missiles in the waters off the U.S. state of Hawaii in August, the Yonhap News Agency reported on Tuesday, citing a source.

The biannual Pacific Dragon maneuvers are scheduled for 1-14 August. Washington, Seoul and Tokyo are interested in strengthening security cooperation amid numerous missile launches by North Korea and their own statements about Pyongyang's possible nuclear tests, Yonhap said.

The defense ministers of the three nations met in Singapore on the margins of last week's security conference and agreed to conduct such exercises on a permanent basis. According to the source, the participation of Australia and Canada has not been ruled out this year. The militaries of the Republic of Korea, the United States and Japan will also practice the missile launch warning system in the second half of the year.

From 29 June to 4 August, naval maneuvers RIMPAC (Rim of the Pacific) will be held with the participation of ships of three countries.