Amid North Korea's Repeated Provocations, the 'Korea-US Missile Task Force' Convened

The 1st Korea-US Missile Response Policy Working Group (CMWG) Meeting Held in Seoul

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] In response to North Korea's relentless missile provocations, the South Korea-U.S. Departments of Defense have established and activated for the first time a dedicated missile policy consultation body.

On the 18th, the Ministry of National Defense announced that it held the 1st Missile Response Policy Working Group (CMWG) meeting at the Ministry of National Defense in Seoul. The CMWG is a newly established consultative body under the South Korea-U.S. Deterrence Strategy Committee (DSC) aimed at creating a deeper policy coordination foundation in the missile sector.

Regarding the security consultation system between South Korea and the U.S., there is the Security Consultative Meeting (SCM) at the top level, under which is the Korea-U.S. Integrated Defense Dialogue (KIDD). The CMWG was newly established under the DSC, which is part of KIDD.

From the South Korean side, Kim Geun-won, Director of the Missile and Space Policy Division at the Ministry of National Defense, attended, while from the U.S. side, Lil Chromacy, Director of Missile Defense Policy at the U.S. Department of Defense, participated.

As North Korea is assessed to have reached the level of equipping intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) and various short-range ballistic missiles (SRBMs) with nuclear warheads, the need to form a working-level consultation body between South Korean and U.S. defense authorities to respond to North Korean missiles was raised. Especially since the Yoon Seok-yeol administration took office, the frequency of North Korean missile provocations has increased, accelerating discussions on activating the working-level consultation body.

South Korea and the U.S. agreed to establish the CMWG at the Integrated Defense Dialogue (KIDD) held in Seoul last August, and it was approved at the 54th SCM held in the U.S. on the 3rd of this month. Given the recent unprecedented frequent missile provocations by North Korea that have heightened tensions on the Korean Peninsula and in the region, both sides agreed on the necessity to establish and activate the CMWG early, holding the first meeting just two weeks after SCM approval.

North Korea publicly opposed the South Korea-U.S.-Japan leaders' agreement to strengthen extended deterrence just the day before by launching a short-range ballistic missile into the East Sea. This year, North Korea has launched ballistic missiles 34 times and cruise missiles 3 times. Since the inauguration of the Yoon Seok-yeol administration alone, missile launches have reached 24 times, showing a pattern of reckless escalation.

The Ministry of National Defense stated, "Through this consultative body, South Korea and the U.S. will strengthen their cooperative system between the two defense ministries to prepare for North Korea's advancing missile threats, and will accelerate policy cooperation to enhance the alliance's missile response capabilities and posture."

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