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| President Park Geun-hye shakes hands with U.S. President Barack Obama after speaking to the media at the conclusion of a bilateral meeting in Vientiane, Laos, Tuesday. / AP-Yonhap |
By Kang Seung-woo
VIENTIANE, Laos ― President Park Geun-hye and U.S. President Barack Obama agreed Tuesday that the allies will maintain a strong deterrence against North Korea's growing threats.
For this, they agreed to utilize all means, including an advanced U.S. missile defense system, to respond to the North's hostilities.
The agreement was reached during a summit in the Laotian capital of Vientiane, where they arrived to attend ASEAN-related meetings that will begin today. Laos is the last leg of Park's three-nation trip that included Russia and China.
The bilateral talks took place one day after the Kim Jong-un regime conducted a test of three ballistic missiles Monday ― the latest show of force as President Park and Chinese President Xi Jinping reaffirmed their commitment to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula at the G20 summit in Hangzhou, China.
"Since the beginning of the year, North Korea has carried out a nuclear test and launched a series of ballistic missiles, fundamentally threatening the security of the Korean Peninsula and Northeast Asia," Park said in a press statement following the summit.
"So, I would like to make it clear that South Korea and the United States will respond resolutely to any provocations by North Korea by utilizing all means."
Park also warned that the North's repeated and reckless provocations such as the missile tests will lead to its self-destruction.
Obama also said, "I want to reaffirm that our commitment to the defense and security of South Korea, including extended deterrence is unwavering."
"North Korea needs to know that provocations will only invite more pressure and further deepen its isolation"
Washington plans to deploy a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery in South Korea by next year to counter North Korea's missile threats.
However, the decision has drawn criticism from China and Russia, which claim that the system's radar may be used to spy on them.
"THAAD is a purely defensive system to defend against North Korean threats," Obama said.
China's objections are also sparking speculation that Beijing may loosen its support of international sanctions imposed on the North over its nuclear weapons program.
Regarding this, Park and Obama stressed China's role in enforcing sanctions against the North and resolving the reclusive state's nuclear ambitions. In March, the United Nations (U.N.) imposed the latest set of sanctions on the North Korean regime for its nuclear test in January and long-range rocket test the following month.
"We are going to work diligently together with the most recent U.N. sanctions," Obama said, adding that efforts will be followed to close loopholes in existing sanctions and make them more effective.
Park also said, "In order to fully implement the sanctions and address the North Korean nuclear issue, China's role is important. So, South Korea and the United States have agreed to continue discussing the issue with Beijing through various channels."
In the press statement, Park also touched on the North's dismal human rights record, saying improving the rights of North Koreans will be a "crucial stepping stone" towards national unification.
"Unification will provide opportunities for North Koreans to be treated equally," she said.
Park to meet Abe today
Today, President Park is scheduled to sit down with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe for their third summit to discuss ways to deal with the North's increasing missile tests.
Park met Abe, Monday, on the sidelines of the G20 Summit and they agreed to cooperate on the issue.
Along with the North Korean threat, they are also expected to discuss follow-up measures to the "comfort women" deal, reached Dec. 28 last year to end their dispute over imperial Japan's sexual enslavement of Korean women before and during World War II.
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