The armed forces of South Korea and the U.S. agreed Friday to deal resolutely with North Korea's additional provocations on the basis of their "ironclad" alliance.
In their Military Committee Meeting (MCM) in Seoul, Gen. Jeong Kyeong-doo, chairman of South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), and his American counterpart Gen. Joseph Dunford agreed to "continuously develop effective response measures in order to deter, and if necessary, firmly respond to additional provocation," according to their joint press statement.
They strongly denounced the North's recent nuclear test and ballistic missile launches weeks before, noting they pose a serious threat to the region, it read.
Dunford, especially, affirmed that despite the nuclear and missile threat from North Korea, the alliance will continue to grow "firmer and stronger," and the U.S. will continue its ironclad commitment to the defense of South Korea including proliferation deterrence, it added.
The South Korean JCS chief stressed that the two sides will establish a close bilateral collaboration system.
They will report the outcome of their talks to the defense ministers -- South Korea's Song Young Moo and Pentagon chief James Mattis.
Song and Mattis are scheduled to hold the Security Consultative Meeting (SCM), an annual defense ministerial meeting between the two nations, in Seoul on Saturday.
