ROK, US defense chiefs condemn DPRK's missile launch

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Republic of Korea (ROK) and US defense chiefs condemned the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK)'s recent missile launches during bilateral talks in Washington, Seoul's defense ministry said Thursday.

ROK Defense Minister Song Young-moo visited Washington to hold talks with his US counterpart James Mattis at the Pentagon Wednesday morning (Washington time), according to the Ministry of National Defense.

US Secretary of Defense James Mattis(L) greets ROK Defense Minister Song Young-moo August 30, 2017 upon his arrival at the Pentagon in Washington, DC.‍

Song and Mattis confirmed a firm ROK-US alliance, strongly denouncing the DPRK's ballistic missile launch on Tuesday and two other missile tests in July as reckless, provocative and destructive behavior, the ministry said in a press release.

Pyongyang launched an intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM), called Hwasong-12, over the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido earlier this week.

It was followed by the DPRK's tests in July of what it called an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), dubbed by the DPRK as Hwasong-14.

Song and Mattis agreed to continue to strengthen the combined defense readiness of the two allies to defend and deter the DPRK threats by securing core military capabilities and interoperable combat capability.

US Secretary of Defense James Mattis(R) and ROK Defense Minister Song Young-moo(L) conduct meetings with their respective staffs on August 30, 2017 at the Pentagon in Washington, DC. /AFP Photo

From this perspective, the ROK military would continue to develop the Kill Chain and the Korea Air and Missile Defense (KAMD) systems.

The Kill Chain is designed to preemptively strike the DPRK's missile launch sites when signs of the first strike are spotted. The KAMD is a project to develop its indigenous missile defense system to shoot down incoming DPRK missiles at multiple layers.

The two defense chiefs expressed their support for the ongoing diplomatic efforts on the denuclearized Korean Peninsula, saying the diplomatic efforts would be backed by strong, effective and trustworthy countermeasures of the military.

Yonhap news agency reported that Song also mentioned the tactical nuclear weapon re-deployment in his bilateral talks. An unnamed ROK government official was quoted as saying the re-deployment was mentioned during the talks though it was not discussed in detail.

US Secretary of Defense James Mattis(L) and ROK Defense Minister Song Young-moo listen to their respective national anthems August 30, 2017 upon Young-moo's arrival at the Pentagon in Washington, DC. /AFP Photo

A tactical nuclear weapon, dubbed non-strategic nuclear weapon, refers to a small-size nuclear weapon designed to be used at a battlefield for the tactical purpose.

The ROK government under President Moon Jae-in opposed the re-deployment of the US tactical nuclear weapon. Chung Eui-yong, top national security adviser to the president, told lawmakers last week that the current government was never considering the re-deployment.

Source(s): Xinhua News Agency