Seoul [South Korea], November 14: The US and South Korea have revised their joint deterrence concept to counter ongoing tensions with North Korea.
US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin and his South Korean counterpart Shin Won Sik signed an update of their "Tailored Deterrence Strategy" (TDS) in Seoul on Monday - the first such update in 10 years.
Shin said that an update was needed because North Korea has been advancing its nuclear weapons capabilities since 2013. Seoul is also more involved in the deterrence plans of its ally, the US, than it had been back then, he said.
Both countries see themselves directly threatened by the nuclear weapons and missile programmes of North Korea, which is ruled by Kim Jong Un. The isolated one-party state in the north considers the US in particular to be hostile.
The defence ministers also agreed to expand joint military exercises and cooperation with Japan. Neither Japan nor South Korea have nuclear weapons of their own, and both states rely on the Washington's nuclear defence shield.
In a joint statement in Seoul, it was said that the new strategy reflects the guidelines for the deployment of all US military capabilities as well as South Korea's conventional forces should North Korea attack with nuclear weapons or other weapons of mass destruction.
A sign of the continued tensions on the peninsular came when Pyongyang repeated its call for the dissolution of the US-led UN Command (UNC) which monitors compliance with the 1953 armistice agreement.
On behalf of its Institute for Disarmament and Peace, the Foreign Ministry in Pyongyang accused the United States on Monday of having formed an "illegal war organization" with the command in 1950. It should have been abolished decades ago, the institute was quoted as saying by North Korea's state media.
The UNC was formed in 1950 shortly after the invasion of South Korea by North Korean troops. Its aim was to assist South Korea with military units from several different countries brought together under the UN flag.
The main task of the UNC today is to ensure that the 1953 armistice agreement is honoured. Over the years North Korea has often demanded the dissolution of the UNC and has also called for the US to end its troop presence in South Korea.
The US currently has 28,500 soldiers stationed there.
Source: Qatar Tribune
