▲ Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup (L) speaks with Colin Kahl, U.S. under secretary of defense for policy, as they meet at Lee's office in central Seoul on June 14, 2023, in this photo provided by Seoul's defense ministry. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

defense chief-Pentagon official

S. Korea's defense chief, senior Pentagon official discuss deterrence against N. Korean threats

SEOUL, June 14 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup met with a senior U.S. defense official in Seoul on Wednesday during which they discussed deterrence against North Korean military threats and the regional security situation, Lee's ministry said.

The meeting between Lee and Colin Kahl, under secretary of defense for policy, came amid tensions heightened by Pyongyang's hardening rhetoric against the allies and continued saber-rattling, including the failed launch of a space rocket late last month.

Lee stressed that the defense authorities of South Korea and the United States need to carry out various effective measures to strengthen the U.S.' ability to execute "extended deterrence," such as expanding the deployment of U.S. strategic assets and conducting various tabletop exercises, according to the ministry.

Extended deterrence refers to the U.S. commitment to mobilizing all of its military capabilities, including nuclear, to defend its ally.

Kahl noted the importance of coordination and communication between the allies to strengthen extended deterrence, while emphasizing their efforts to make change in Pyongyang's calculations, the ministry said.

He also highly rated the progress made in security cooperation between Seoul, Washington and Tokyo through the recent improvement in relations between South Korea and Japan, it added.

The defense chiefs of the three countries agreed earlier this month to operate a system to share North Korean missile warning data in real time by the end of this year as they met on the margins of a security forum in Singapore.

Lee also asked for Kahl's support for Seoul's defense policy even after he leaves office next month.

On Thursday, Kahl is scheduled to attend the Combined Joint Live-Fire Exercise, the allies' largest-ever combined live-fire drills, at the Seungjin Fire Training Field in Pocheon, 51 kilometers northwest of Seoul and just 25 km south of the inter-Korean border.

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