The chiefs of the South Korean and U.S. navies met aboard a U.S. aircraft carrier Friday to discuss enhancing military cooperation, officials said, amid heightened tensions over North Korea's spy satellite launch this week.
Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Yang Yong-mo and his U.S. counterpart, Adm. Lisa Franchetti, held the talks aboard the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier currently docked at a naval base in Busan, 320 kilometers southeast of Seoul.
The meeting took place after North Korea launched the satellite Tuesday night in defiance of U.N. Security Council resolutions banning Pyongyang from any launches using ballistic missile technology.
During the talks, Yang called for bolstering the allies' combined defense posture, citing military threats posed by North Korea, according to his office.
"Amidst a grave security situation where North Korea's nuclear and missile threats are advancing, let's upgrade the South Korea-U.S. combined defense posture to another level by closely working together based on the ties built between our navies," he was quoted as saying.
Franchetti, who arrived in South Korea on Thursday for a two-day visit, previously served as the commander of the U.S. Naval Forces Korea from 2013 to 2015. She took office as the U.S. Navy's top officer earlier this month.
The USS Carl Vinson -- the third U.S. Navy carrier to visit South Korea this year -- entered the naval base Tuesday.