Top South Korean and U.S. military officers reiterated Thursday that the allies would respond firmly to any North Korean provocations in accordance with their recently signed contingency plan.

During their 37th Military Committee Meeting, Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman Gen. Jung Seung-jo and his U.S. counterpart Gen. Martin Dempsey also reaffirmed that preparations for the transfer of wartime operational control slated for 2015 were “on track.”

They agreed to refine the specifics on the future allied command structure and report to the annual Security Consultative Meeting slated for October. The current Combined Forces Command is to be dissolved following the OPCON transfer.

Dempsey reiterated the U.S. commitment to defend South Korea, using all available military capabilities, including its nuclear umbrella, conventional strike and missile defense capabilities, Seoul officials said.

The meeting, which was originally planned to occur in Washington, was held through video teleconferencing as the two top officers have focused on maintaining a robust defense posture amid escalating North Korean military threats.


By Song Sang-ho
(sshluck@heraldcorp.com)