Korea.net
South Korea and the U.S. reaffirmed Washington’s pledge to defend the Korean Peninsula against Pyongyang’s nuclear and missile threats.
The South Korean and U.S. governments held the inaugural meeting of the Extended Deterrence Strategy and Consultation Group (EDSCG) in Washington D.C. on Dec. 20. In the meeting, the two sides held an in-depth, comprehensive discussion on strategic and policy issues regarding deterrence against North Korea, including how to better leverage the full breadth of national power, using diplomacy, information, military and economic elements.
The EDSCG is a new high-level consultative body between Seoul and Washington which focuses on bolstering bilateral cooperation in the security sector of both countries. South Korea and the U.S. have existing bilateral high-level consultative structures in regard to North Korea, atomic energy, and the economy.
The inaugural meeting was attended by Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Lim Sung-nam and Deputy Minister for National Defense Policy Ryu Je-seung from Korea. The U.S. participants were Thomas Countryman, Acting Under Secretary for Arms Control and International Security, and David Shear, Principal Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Policy.
