Defense ministry vows to build 'overwhelming' capabilities against N. Korean military threats

SEOUL, July 3 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's defense ministry renewed its commitment Monday to securing "overwhelming" capabilities to counter North Korea's evolving nuclear and missile threats amid lingering tensions caused by its provocative acts earlier this year.

Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup presided over a meeting of top commanders to discuss the ongoing defense efforts, including strengthening the United States' "extended deterrence" commitment, "normalizing" defense cooperation with Japan and improving counter-drone capabilities.

The ministry underscored that the South Korea-U.S. Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG) will be a key tool to reinforce the credibility of America's extended deterrence commitment to using the full range of its military capabilities, including nuclear, to defend its ally.

President Yoon Suk Yeol and U.S. President Joe Biden announced the establishment of the NCG in the Washington Declaration that they issued at the White House summit in April. It is designed to discuss nuclear and strategic planning issues.

The ministry also noted its push to strengthen the allies' consultation procedures for the "timely" deployment of U.S. strategic assets to the Korean Peninsula, including a nuclear-capable ballistic missile submarine as agreed by their leaders in the declaration.

"We have decided to further accelerate such efforts to establish overwhelming capabilities and posture against North Korea's nuclear and missile threats," it said in a release.

The ministry plans to push for an agreement with Tokyo on measures to "normalize" bilateral defense cooperation in yet another effort to improve bilateral relations long strained over wartime history.

Relations between Seoul and Tokyo have taken a turn for the better this year after Seoul's decision in March to compensate Korean victims of Japanese wartime forced labor on its own without asking for contributions from Japanese firms.

The ministry noted that it will accelerate preparations for the launch of a "strategic command" slated for next year. The command is designed to oversee the military's key assets to better counter Pyongyang's threats.

In January, the Joint Chiefs of Staff established the Directorate for Countering Nuclear and Weapons of Mass Destruction as a stepping stone to the launch of the envisioned command.

The ministry, in addition, seeks to bolster the country's three-pronged defense system by pursuing revisions to relevant regulations on acquisition procedures for assets utilized in the system.

The defense system consists of the Korea Air and Missile Defense, the Kill Chain preemptive strike platform, and the Korea Massive Punishment and Retaliation, an operational plan to incapacitate the North Korean leadership in a major conflict.

To address North Korean drone-based threats, the ministry plans to revise a guideline for joint air defense operations in October and secure more assets to detect and strike hostile unmanned aerial vehicles.

As part of efforts to enhance international security cooperation, Seoul and Washington plan to hold a rare defense ministerial meeting with member states of the United Nations Command (UNC) in November, according to the ministry.

The meeting has been arranged as the allies mark the 70th anniversary this year of the signing of the armistice that halted the 1950-53 Korean War. The UNC is an enforcer of the armistice.

yunhwanchae@yna.co.kr
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