S. Korea, U.S. hold deterrence talks on N.K. nuclear threats following Kim-Putin summit

By Yi Wonju

SEOUL, Sept. 15 (Yonhap) -- A high-level deterrence dialogue of South Korea and the United States opened in Seoul on Friday, just days after the leaders of North Korea and Russia held a rare summit meeting.

The fourth meeting of the Extended Deterrence Strategy and Consultation Group (EDSCG), a gathering of the allies' vice-ministerial defense officials and diplomats, took place in Seoul's foreign ministry amid concerns Pyongyang and Moscow may have discussed a potential arms deal.

"Russia and North Korea's military cooperation is a grave violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions," Seoul's Vice Foreign Minister Chang Ho-jin said.

Bonnie Jenkins, under secretary of state for arms control and international security, also said any transfer of arms would be a violation of the resolutions, stressing that Friday's meeting signals the strengthening of the alliance.

The U.S. reaffirms any nuclear attack by the North against Washington or its allies, including South Korea, would be "unacceptable and result in the end of that regime," she added.

After the second meeting in 2018, the EDSCG was suspended due to the then liberal Moon Jae-in administration's push for an initiative to promote inter-Korean rapprochement and cooperation.

The reactivation of the EDSCG came after South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and his U.S. counterpart, Joe Biden, agreed on it during their summit in May of last year as part of joint efforts to address Pyongyang's growing nuclear and missile threats.

julesyi@yna.co.kr
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