SEOUL– Senior military officers of South Korea and the United States held talks in Seoul on Monday to discuss joint efforts to beef up the U.S.’ “extended deterrence” against North Korean threats, Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said.

The talks between Maj. Gen. Kim Su-kwang, director of the JCS’ nuclear and weapons of mass destruction response center, and Rear Adm. Anthony Carullo, director of plans and policy at the U.S. Strategic Command, came as a follow-up to the allies’ defense ministerial talks last month that spelled out deterrence cooperation efforts.

Extended deterrence refers to Washington’s commitment to mobilizing a full range of its military capabilities, both nuclear and conventional, to defend its ally.

The JCS and the U.S. Strategic Command agreed to continue cooperation at a strategic level to improve the implementation of extended deterrence while Carullo also reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to continue providing extended deterrence for the South, according to the JCS.

The two sides shared the view that close coordination is more important than ever, citing the “grave” situation on the Korean Peninsula due to North Korea’s ballistic missile launches, including an intercontinental one, its recent codification of a nuclear force policy and preparations of a nuclear test, it said.

Source: Yonhap News Agency