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| Unification Minister Ryoo Kihl-jae, left, Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se, center and Kim Jang-soo, chief of the National Security Office at Cheong Wa Dae, salute the national flag before reporting to President Park Geun-hye on this year's policy plans at the headquarters of the Ministry of National Defense, Thursday. / Yonhap |
ROK, US drills to counter possible use of nuclear arms
By Chung Min-uck
South Korea and the U.S. will apply for the first time a "tailored" strategy aimed at deterring North Korea's possible use of nuclear weapons or weapons of mass destructions (WMD) during this year's joint military drills, the defense ministry said Thursday.
The ministry said the so-called "tailored deterrence strategy" is a comprehensive approach that covers how to respond to different levels of military threats posed by North Korea in peacetime and wartime.
The strategy will be applied in this year's joint exercises, including the upcoming Key Resolve, Foal Eagle (FE) and Ulchi-Freedom Guardian (UFG) war games, the ministry said.
It added that the allies will develop specific action plans for different crisis scenarios as they carry out the drills.
"Seoul and Washington will come up with a guideline for the specific action plans by the end of the year," said a ministry official.
The new strategy reflects Seoul's belief that the threat of a military provocation from North Korea is growing under the leadership of Kim Jong-un following the execution of Kim's once-powerful uncle and former political mentor Jang Song-thaek.
DMZ peace park
President Park Geun-hye's North Korea policy, dubbed the "Trust-building Process," calls for strong deterrence against the North but at the same time backs engagement if the reclusive country scraps its nuclear programs and other military provocations.
In line with that position, the foreign ministry said in its report Seoul will step up strategic cooperation with the U.S. and China this year to deter North Korea's military provocations and advance efforts to denuclearize the communist country.
Seoul will push for a number of high-ranking South Korea-U.S. talks, including a summit meeting between Park and U.S. President Barack Obama, and a joint meeting of the two allies' foreign and defense ministers, according to the ministry.
With Beijing, Seoul will hold a strategic dialogue to discuss in depth long-term security issues on the Korean peninsula, it said.
Meanwhile, as a conciliatory element of the new approach, the Ministry of Unification said that it will embark on a proposed inter-Korean project of building a peace park inside the two Koreas' heavily fortified border, and formally propose the project to North Korea in the coming months.
"We target to reach a deal with North Korea on the project within this year," the unification ministry said.
The National Assembly, in this year's budget, earmarked 30.2 billion won ($28.7 million) for building a park inside the Demilitarized Zone, a project that Park proposed last year to improve inter-Korean relations.
The ministry also said it plans to explore measures to support a North Korea-Russian project that calls for renovation of a 54-kilometer train track linking the Russian eastern border town of Khasan to the North's port of Rajin.
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