Real-Time Sharing of US Early Warning Satellite Information... TDS Revised After 10 Years (Update)

Agreement on the 55th SCM Joint Statement on the 13th
Real-time Sharing of Early Warning Satellite Information
TDS Also Reflects North Korean Threat... Revised for the First Time in 10 Years

The U.S. military authorities have agreed to share real-time information related to North Korea's ballistic missile launches, acquired through early warning satellites, with South Korea. Additionally, the "Tailored Deterrence Strategy" (TDS), established in 2013, has been revised for the first time in 10 years in response to North Korea's advanced nuclear and missile threats.

On the 13th, Defense Minister Shin Won-sik and U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin disclosed these agreements in a joint statement following the 55th Security Consultative Meeting (SCM) held at the Ministry of National Defense building in Yongsan-gu, Seoul.

Minister of National Defense Shin Won-sik and U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin are attending the 55th SCM (Security Consultative Meeting) chairmanship event held at the Ministry of National Defense parade ground in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, on the morning of the 13th. Photo by Joint Press Corps

According to the statement, both South Korea and the U.S. agreed to "further strengthen cooperation on the U.S. early warning satellite information sharing system (SEWS) to enhance the alliance's detection capabilities in preparation for North Korea's advanced missile threats."

Currently, the U.S. Space Force operates about ten early warning satellites. It is known that through these, the U.S. can detect the exhaust flames of ballistic missiles launched by North Korea almost in real-time, regardless of the Earth's curvature, terrain, or obstacles.

Furthermore, both sides agreed to closely cooperate not only bilaterally but also with the international community to respond to North Korea's malicious cyber activities, cryptocurrency theft, overseas labor dispatch, maritime transshipment, and other illegal acts.

Both countries also reaffirmed their commitment to continuously enhance and expand trilateral security cooperation among South Korea, the U.S., and Japan through ▲ high-level policy consultations ▲ trilateral exercises ▲ information sharing ▲ and defense exchange cooperation.

Secretary Austin stated, "We reaffirm the United States' steadfast commitment to provide 'extended deterrence' to the Republic of Korea by operating military capabilities across all domains, including nuclear, conventional weapons, missile defense, and advanced non-nuclear capabilities," adding, "Any nuclear attack by North Korea against the U.S. or its allies and partners will not be tolerated. Ultimately, this will lead to the end of the Kim Jong-un regime."

Minister of National Defense Shin Won-sik and U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin are attending the 55th SCM (Security Consultative Meeting) chairmanship event held at the Ministry of National Defense parade ground in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, on the morning of the 13th. Photo by Joint Press Corps

Taking this SCM as an opportunity, both South Korea and the U.S. revised the "Tailored Deterrence Strategy" (TDS) for the first time in 10 years. The TDS is a joint South Korea-U.S. deterrence strategy optimized for the Korean Peninsula situation, considering the characteristics of the North Korean leadership and the nuclear and weapons of mass destruction (WMD) threats. It was first drafted in 2013. Due to the rapid advancement of North Korea's nuclear and missile threats, it was judged that the previous strategy did not adequately reflect the current situation, and discussions had been underway to revise it before this SCM.

It is known that the revised TDS reflects the recently advanced North Korean nuclear and missile threats and the joint response strategies based on the development of the South Korea-U.S. alliance capabilities.

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