“The level and breadth of the use of strategic assets must change”
EDSCG meeting held after 4 years and 8 months
Defense Minister Lee Jong-seop “South Korea-US Reliability Talk”
Review of tailored prevention strategy after 9 years”
First Vice Foreign Minister Cho Hyeon-dong, who was visiting the United States, announced at the “Korea-US High Level Extended Deterrence Strategy Council” (EDSCG) meeting on the 16th (local time) that the United States form a stronger group. and a more concrete “promise of extended deterrence”. Amid tensions on the Korean Peninsula over concerns over North Korea’s seventh nuclear test and the enactment of a nuclear weapons policy, the plan goes beyond confirming the US pledge to provide a nuclear umbrella, and will increase its level and scope . .
Vice Minister Cho met with reporters at Dulles Airport near Washington DC on the 14th and said, “I will do my best so that the public can feel that it has been strengthened and upgraded more than’ r extended prevention measures we have seen so far.” in some things, and the level and breadth may be different from the past, so please keep that in mind and watch.”
He added, “North Korea has also announced the enactment of a nuclear police policy a few days ago, so we will discuss as much as possible a stronger and more specific plan and explain the content to the public, recognizing that the situation is different . from the past.”
The EDSCG is a consultative body at sub-ministerial level where the diplomatic and defense authorities of both countries discuss the effective implementation of extended deterrence in a ‘2+2’ format. This consultation is the first in four years and eight months since January 2018. ‘Extended deterrence’ is a concept where the US provides the same level of nuclear deterrence as its own territory when South Korea is threatened by a nuclear attack by an adversary. There are few concerns about whether these promises will be properly implemented in a crisis, and the question is whether the outcome of this meeting will shatter it.
Meanwhile, Defense Minister Lee Jong-seop said in an interview with Yonhap News on the same day, regarding the credibility of US extended deterrence, “we have been considering ways to strengthen the operational power of extended deterrence, such as information sharing, on the co. planning, crisis consultation, deployment of strategic assets, joint exercises, and strategic communication. EDSCG will also discuss such a plan.” He also explained that the ‘US-Korea Personal Deterrence Strategy’ (TDS) was being reviewed for the first time in nine years because of the developing North Korean nuclear threat. TDS is a joint deterrence strategy between South Korea and the United States that is optimized for the situation on the Korean Peninsula while considering North Korea’s nuclear and weapons of mass destruction (WMD) threat.
Correspondent Lee Gyeong-ju, Washington
Reporter Moon Kyung-geun, Seoul
