U.S. to use all possible defense capabilities to safeguard S. Korea: Seoul

SEOUL, Feb. 29 (Yonhap) -- The United States is committed to using the full range of its defense capabilities to safeguard South Korea in the event of war with North Korea, a defense ministry official here said Monday after attending a joint defense exercise in California.

The allies held their annual anti-nuclear joint exercise at Vandenberg Air Force Base last week where some 40 defense officials from the two countries discussed warfare strategies to counter North Korea's nuclear and weapons of mass destruction threats.

During the three-day exercise, the U.S. side demonstrated its contingency plan to deploy the U.S. Air Force's B-52 bomber to South Korea.

The South Korean side has also been briefed on the aircraft's capacity to carry nuclear bombs, the official told reporters, asking not to be named.

The global power also has a warfare strategy to intercept North Korean intercontinental ballistic missiles with its Ground-Based Interceptor, known as GBI, if the communist country launches them at the mainland U.S., the official said, referring to a set of anti-North Korea combat strategies discussed in the exercise.

The South Korean officials also sat in for the U.S. Air Force's test launch of a Minuteman 3 missile, which took place in California during the exercise, the official noted.

pbr@yna.co.kr
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