South Korea and the U.S. on Monday approved an operational guideline to counter North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats, reiterating their allied stance against the communist regime’s possible aggression and provocations.

During their annual Security Consultative Meeting in Seoul, Defense Minister Han Min-koo and his U.S. counterpart Ashton Carter also signed the allied plan to execute the “conditions-based” transfer of wartime operational control, which is expected to take place in the mid-2020s.

The SCM was held as Pyongyang has ratcheted up its nuclear and missile threats. It has long claimed its “sovereign” right to launch “satellites” for space development, and that it would continue to strengthen its “nuclear deterrence” against the U.S.

At the meeting, the two sides did not discuss the U.S.’ potential deployment of an advanced missile defense asset, called the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system, to the peninsula due to the sensitivity of the issue, Seoul officials explained.

The guideline to cope with Pyongyang’s nuclear and missile threats employs the so-called “4D” concept, the centerpiece of the allies’ proactive defense strategy. The 4D stands for “detect, defense, disrupt and destroy” -- the four major steps to fend off Pyongyang’s nuclear and missile attacks.

“Detect” represents the allies’ procedures to track North Korea’s missile movements with various intelligence-gathering assets, while the “defense” refers to a set of the allied defensive operations to minimize any damage from potential attacks.

“Disrupt” means striking North Korea’s core missile facilities including supporting installations, while “destroy” refers to the allies’ efforts to demolish the North’s mobile launchers, called TEL (transporter erector launcher), and incoming missiles.

The new plan to pursue a conditions-based OPCON transfer cited Seoul’s enhanced intelligence and command-and-control capabilities as one of the conditions that allow Seoul to assume OPCON.

Both had agreed that Seoul would assume OPCON once the South’s “critical” military capabilities are secured, and the security environment on the peninsula and in the region is conducive to a stable OPCON transition.

These agreements came amid escalating controversy here over the potential deployment of THADD and Seoul’s jet fighters procurement programs. Pentagon had rejected the transfer of key technologies for a Korean Fighter Experimental project that aims to procure 120 combat fighters by 2020.

In a joint press conference, Secretary Carter dismissed the speculation that Washington is unilaterally pursuing the deployment of the THAAD missile defense battery to South Korea, echoing the Pentagon’s recent dismissal of a Lockheed Martin official’s claim that the allies had been discussing it.

Carter also highlighted bilateral efforts to keep float the KF-X project. He said the two sides would build a forum to discuss the botched procurement project, while reiterating the Pentagon’s rejection of the technology transfer that Washington said would violate U.S. law.



By Yeo Jun-suk (jasonyeo@heraldcorp.com)