Joint Chiefs Chairman Holds First Coordinated Call with U.S. Counterpart: "Deterring North Korea's Threats Is Crucial"

Coordinated Call with Japan's Chief of Staff, Joint Staff Scheduled for the Afternoon

Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Jin Youngseung held his first coordinated call with the Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, agreeing on the importance of deterring North Korea's threats through the combined defense posture of South Korea and the United States.

On the morning of October 17, Chairman Jin held a coordinated call with U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman John Daniel Keane. This was the first such call since Chairman Jin took office on September 30. Chairman Jin offered his greetings upon taking office and discussed the recent security situation and ways to enhance cooperation with the U.S. Chairman.

The Chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of South Korea and the United States agreed that the security situation on the Korean Peninsula remains stable based on the ironclad alliance between the two countries, and that it is crucial to deter North Korea's threats through the combined defense posture. They also agreed to discuss pending issues and further strengthen the alliance at the upcoming South Korea-U.S. Military Committee Meeting (MCM) to be held in South Korea next month.

Later in the afternoon, Chairman Jin is scheduled to hold a coordinated call with Japan's Chief of Staff, Joint Staff, Hiroaki Uchikura. During the call, they plan to exchange greetings and build consensus on the need for cooperation between the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Japanese Joint Staff Office to further materialize the outcomes of recent high-level communications, including the South Korea-Japan summit and the defense ministers' meeting.

Chairman Jin will also emphasize the importance of maintaining momentum for South Korea-Japan and South Korea-U.S.-Japan security cooperation, as well as the need for ongoing communication to expand areas of collaboration.