South Korea & US to revive high-level deterrence talks amid North Korea's nuclear threats

South Korea and the United States are set to engage in a significant high-level deterrence discussion for the first time since 2018. According to South Korea's Defence and Foreign ministries, the meeting between the two countries would take place on September 16, as both allies resolve to strengthen cooperation in fending off North Korea's developing military threats. The Extended Deterrence Strategy and Consultation Group (EDSCG), a gathering of the two nations' vice-ministerial defence and diplomatic representatives, would take place in Washington on the scheduled date, Yonhap news agency reported. 

According to reports, the EDSCG meeting has not occurred since the second and final meeting in January 2018, when the then South Korean President Moon Jae-in advocated for an initiative to encourage inter-Korean harmony and collaboration. The upcoming meeting will be attended by South Korea's vice defence and foreign ministers, Shin Beom-chul and Cho Hyun-dong respectively, whereas, Colin H. Kahl, undersecretary of defence for policy, and Bonnie Denise Jenkins, undersecretary of state for arms control and international security, will represent the US side. 

The meeting comes amid fears of North Korea's provocations

"In this grave security situation on the Korean Peninsula, the two sides plan to have in-depth discussions on comprehensive ways to deter North Korean threats, including measures to strengthen the credibility of extended deterrence," Seoul's Defence and Foreign ministries said in a joint press release, as per Yonhap. Notably, the US has vowed to use the whole spectrum of its military resources in order to defend its ally and this strategy is known as extended deterrence. The meeting was planned in response to fears that North Korea could carry out provocative actions, such as launching another ballistic missile or conducting its seventh nuclear test.

South Korea claims North is set to conduct nuclear test 

It is pertinent to mention that South Korea has repeatedly claimed that the North is ready to conduct a nuclear test at any time as the Kim Jong-un-led regime has been rapidly increasing its missile tests as part of its weapon development programme. So far, North Korea has conducted six nuclear tests, all of which have taken place at the Punggye-ri test site. The most recent test was conducted in September of 2017. Meanwhile, the South Korean Defence Ministry stressed that the country's Armed Forces is maintaining a strong defensive posture to react proactively to such security threats on the basis of the strong alliance between Seoul and Washington.  

Image: AP