S. Korean, US military chiefs agree to develop effective response measures against N.Korea threats

The military chiefs of South Korea and the United States agreed Thursday to develop "effective response measures" in order to deter and counter additional provocations from North Korea, the Pentagon said.

Gen. Lee Sun-jin, chairman of South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff, and his U.S. counterpart, Gen. Joseph Dunford, reached the agreement at their annual Military Committee Meeting (MCM) in Washington, denouncing Pyongyang's nuclear and missile provocations, the Pentagon said in a statement.

"The generals agreed to continuously develop effective response measures in order to deter, and if necessary, respond to additional provocation from North Korea," the statement said.

Dunford affirmed that despite the nuclear and missile threat from the North, the Korea-U.S. alliance will "continue to grow firmer and stronger, and the U.S. will continue its ironclad commitment to the defense of the Korean Peninsula," the statement said.

Lee stressed that the South and U.S. will continue its proactive cooperation, including establishment of a practical collaboration system and deployment of the THAAD missile defense system in order to effectively respond to North Korean nuclear and missile threats, it said.

Other South Korean and U.S. officials in attendance included Rear Adm. Chung An-ho, acting chief director of strategic planning at South Korea's JCS, U.S. Pacific Command Adm. Harry B. Harris and U.S. Forces Korea Commander Gen. Vincent Brooks.

Earlier in the day, Lee and Dunford paid a joint visit to the Korean War Veterans Memorial in Washington.

It was the first time the JCS chairmen of the two countries paid a joint visit to the memorial, an official said.

"Your sacrifices 66 years ago helped the Republic of Korea become what it is today," Lee said of the 1950-53 Korean War in which the U.S. fought alongside the South. "We will overcome North Korea's nuclear and missile threats with the strength of the Korea-U.S. alliance forged in your blood and sweat."

During the visit, Lee handed Dunford an "Ambassador For Peace" medal to be awarded to Dunford's father, Joseph F. Dunford Sr., a Korean War veteran who as a young Marine participated in the landmark landing operation in the western port of Incheon that turned the tide during the war.

Lee, who has been on a visit to the U.S. since Tuesday, is scheduled to hold trilateral talks with his U.S. and Japanese counterparts on Saturday to discuss ways to deal with North Korean threats. (Yonhap)