OPINION:
The United States and the South Korea agreed on a plan to combat the missile threat from North Korean armed forces.
Secretary of Defense Ash Carter and South Korean Defense Minister, Han Min-koo, signed off on the plan during annual security talks in Seoul.
The concept calls for U.S. and South Korean military to detect, disrupt and destroy North Korean missiles if needed. The North Korean regime has increased its aggressive rhetoric in recent months and repeatedly has threatened to attack the South and the American homeland with nuclear and biochemical warheads.
American intelligence has confirmed Kim Jong-un’s regime has multiple missile systems that are a threat to the U.S. and its allies in the Pacific region. Mobile systems are of special concern.
Bloomberg reports Secretary Carter’s comments at the joint press conference, “We spoke candidly today about North Korean threats — nuclear weapons, ballistic missiles, cyber, conventional military threats…Those threats continue to put at risk the peace and security of the peninsula, the region and the United States.”
North Korea has conducted three nuclear tests and is reported to be preparing for a fourth.
The United States is also attempting to improve the connection between two crucial allies in the Pacific in the face of Chinese threats.
Relations between Japan and South Korea have been deteriorating over the last several years mainly due to memories of World War II.
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