Vice Minister Cho Hyun-dong: "Strengthening US Extended Deterrence... The Level and Scope of Strategic Asset Deployment Will Change"

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Visits US for Korea-US Extended Deterrence Strategy Consultation 2+2 Meeting
Confirms US Missile Defense Capabilities and Posture

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo In-ho, Military Specialist Yang Nak-gyu] Cho Hyun-dong, First Vice Foreign Minister of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stated on the 14th (local time) regarding the Korea-US Extended Deterrence Strategy Consultation Group (EDSCG) meeting, "Given that North Korea announced the legalization of its nuclear force policy just a few days ago, we recognize that the situation is different from the past, and we will discuss strengthened and more concrete measures to the fullest extent possible compared to before."

Visiting the United States to attend the EDSCG scheduled for the 16th, Vice Minister Cho told reporters that regarding extended deterrence measures such as the deployment of strategic assets like nuclear bombers and nuclear submarines, "There are things like the deployment of strategic assets, and the level or scope of these may differ from the past, so please keep that in mind and watch closely."

Vice Minister Cho emphasized, "We will strive to ensure that the public can feel that the extended deterrence measures we have seen so far are somewhat strengthened and upgraded."

The EDSCG is a '2+2 consultation body' between the foreign and defense vice ministers of Korea and the United States to discuss extended deterrence, convening for the first time in 4 years and 8 months since January 2018.

From the U.S. side, Bonnie Jenkins, Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security, and Colin Kahl, Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, will attend respectively.

Both sides plan to focus on discussing measures to enhance the effectiveness of the U.S. extended deterrence commitment.

Meanwhile, Vice Minister Cho, along with Defense Vice Minister Shin Beom-cheol, visited the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) in the afternoon and met with Deputy Director Laura Desimone to review MDA’s missile defense capabilities and posture, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced.

At this meeting, Vice Minister Cho mentioned the importance of missile defense capabilities in the U.S. extended deterrence commitment and requested support at the MDA level.

Vice Minister Shin said, "Close Korea-U.S. cooperation is necessary to deter and respond to the increasingly advanced North Korean nuclear and missile threats," adding, "The various missile defense collaborations underway between the Korea and U.S. defense authorities will serve as a foundation to further strengthen the alliance’s capabilities and posture."

Deputy Director Desimone stated, "Various missile defense capabilities and a solid defense posture are prepared to counter North Korea’s missile threats," and expressed hope that missile defense cooperation between Korea and the U.S. will further develop at the policy and strategic levels.

The MDA introduced Vice Minister Cho and Vice Minister Shin to the current status of MDA’s research and development and the missile defense systems deployed and operated in the field.

Subsequently, both sides discussed ways to contribute to extended deterrence.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.