S. Korea, US still in talks over missile defense cooperation: Panetta

WASHINGTON (Yonhap) -- U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta said Wednesday that Washington is still in consultations with Seoul over its future role in a regional missile defense system.

"With regards to future missile defense, that's an area we continue to discuss in order to make sure that we have all of the defenses necessary to deal with the missile threat coming from North Korea and whatever steps are necessary to try to make sure that we are prepared for that," Panetta told reporters after talks with his South Korean counterpart, Kim Kwan-jin, at the Pentagon.

The secretary was responding to a question about unrelenting speculation that the U.S. is pressing South Korea to play a role in its missile defense in Northeast Asia.

Panetta cited a recent U.S. move to expand its missile defense equipment in Japan, adding Washington will continue to work with its "friends" in the region to improve readiness to counter missile threats.

On the new North Korean leadership, the secretary said the bottom line is the U.S. still has no clear idea of whether young leader Kim Jong-un will follow the policy direction of his late father, Kim Jong-il, or seek a new path.

"The concern we have is that they continue to prepare for missile tests," he said. "They continue to engage in enrichment of uranium against all international rules."