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| ▲ (L to R) South Korean Defense Minister Shin Won-sik; Lloyd Austin, U.S. Secretary of Defense; and Japanese Defense Minister Minoru Kihara are seen in this composite file photo. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
(LEAD) S Korea-US-security meeting
(LEAD) S. Korea, U.S. defense chiefs to hold annual security talks in Seoul next week
(ATTN: UPDATES with details in last 2 paras)
By Kim Eun-jung
SEOUL, Nov. 9 (Yonhap) -- Defense chiefs of South Korea and the United States will hold their annual bilateral security talks next week to discuss ways to strengthen Washington's extended deterrence against North Korea's missile and nuclear threats, and shore up the alliance, Seoul's defense ministry said Thursday.
Defense Minister Shin Won-sik and his American counterpart, Lloyd Austin, plan to attend the 55th Security Consultative Meeting on Monday, which would mark their first in-person talks since Shin took office last month.
This year's meeting comes at a critical time, as the allies have been making efforts to reinforce the credibility of Washington's deterrence commitment to using the full range of its military capabilities, including nuclear, to defend South Korea.
Shin and Austin are expected to flesh out details of the bilateral Nuclear Consultative Group, which was launched in July in line with the Washington Declaration adopted at the bilateral summit in April, to discuss nuclear and strategic planning and responses against North Korea's aggression.
The two sides also plan to discuss defense science and industry cooperation, the trilateral security cooperation among South Korea, U.S. and Japan, and other regional security issues, the ministry said.
In time for the Pentagon chief's Seoul visit, Japanese Defense Minister Minoru Kihara is expected to join a trilateral session to discuss their cooperation in areas of real-time data sharing of North Korea's ballistic missile launches and joint drills, according to sources.
On Tuesday, the two ministers will attend the inaugural defense ministerial meeting of South Korea and the United Nations Command (UNC) sending states, which contributed forces to fight for South Korea during the 1950-53 Korean War.
"The upcoming meeting is the first gathering of defense ministers and representatives of South Korea and UNC sending states to explore the role of the UNC in deterring war on the Korean Peninsula and maintaining peace, as well as to discuss their cooperation measures," the ministry said in a release.
The participants from the U.S. and 16 other countries plan to urge North Korea to cease "unlawful activities" and abide by the U.N. Security Council resolutions, and adopt a joint declaration calling for collective responses in case of contingencies on the Korean Peninsula, according to the ministry.
North Korea conducted two test-firings of Hwasong-18 solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) earlier this year and is believed to be preparing to launch its first military spy satellite following two failed attempts in May and August.
Seoul and Washington have condemned Pyongyang's test-firing of ICBMs and attempted satellite launches as violations of multiple U.N. Security Council resolutions that ban its use of ballistic missile technology.
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